Thursday, July 29, 2010

Monkey brain


Signed a contract with Woodside yesterday. No going backwards now, the transition has begun.

Sky walks about 50%, speed crawls rest of time. Climbing is high up on the daily activities too. I have caught him up on shelves, the small art/snack table, and on chairs.

Technology continues to baffle me. Why can't all my electronics get along with each other and me? Is it unrealistic to expect that ignoring the pace of technological development until needed is a good strategy?

The sickness has ended. Sky still has a red spot on his finger from a lingering blister. Both kids emerged from the HFM virus with only a fever, crankiness, and a half a dozen blisters. Talking to friends whose kids have had the virus, I realize that we were very lucky. One friend's husband got sores in his mouth right in the middle of the Thanksgiving holiday. Another man called it "the new chicken pox". Whatever is is, I am glad to be through it.

Quiet time still eludes me. I get distracted by projects and adventures. I enjoy time in the forest and on the beach with my kids and dogs, but the time is far from meditative. I could be using the time in the evening but the computer and t.v. suck me in. I think I will try a class.

Camping with girlfriends, hundreds of kids and dogs at the sunny river is in my future! More blueberry picking is needed, more bike riding for North, more gardening and running with friends in the early morning fog. I love being outside in the summer....

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Like most humanoids, I am burdened with what the Buddhists call the "monkey mind" - the thoughts that swing from limb to limb, stopping only to scratch themselves, spit and howl. From the distant past to the unknowable future, my mind swings wildly through time, touching on dozens of ideas a minute, unharnessed and undisciplined. This in itself is not necessarily a problem; the problem is the emotional attachment that goes along with the thinking. Happy thoughts make me happy, but--whoop!--how quickly I swing again into obsessive worry, blowing the mood; and then it's the remembrance of an angry moment and I start to get hot and pissed off all over again; and then my mind decides it might be a good time to start feeling sorry for itself. and loneliness follows promptly. You are, after all, what you think. Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions.

The other problem with all this swinging through the vines of thought is that you are never where you are. You are always digging in the past or poking at the future, but rarely do you rest in this moment. It's something like the habit of my dear friend Susan, who--whenever she sees a beautiful pace--exclaims in near panic, "it's so beautiful here! I want to come back here someday!" and it takes all of my persuasive powers to try to convince her that she is already here. If you're looking for union with the divine, this kind of forward/backward whirling is a problem. There's a reason they call God a presence--because God is right here, right now. In the present is the only place to find Him, and now is the only time.

--Elizabeth Gilbert "eat pray love"

Thursday, July 22, 2010

The Not-San Diego trip

Sometimes no matter how perfect the planning is, life moves in a different direction then one plans for.

On Tuesday, the boys and I were to fly to San Diego for a few days of visiting family. I also wanted to take the kids to the waterfront and see the big ships. It would be my first time traveling with them through airplane layovers and big city traffic. I felt excited and up for the challenge. The trip was meant to be a great start to a lifetime of traveling that I wanted to expose my kids to.

But after perfect packing ( I didn't forget a THING, and I even ironed!), we were blocked by the hazards of airplane travel.

Or should I say, flying out of Arcata and into SFO. Both very foggy airports.

Our flight out was delayed because of foggy conditions in SFO, thus causing my connecting flight to be missed. All afternoon flights into S.D were full. The United check-in person offered to re-book our connecting flight through Carlsbad (Northern San Diego county) by 6:00pm. I decided to take that option even though it meant another connecting flight through LA.

However, when I went over to the car rental counter to change my rental time/pick-up location I was told that dropping the car off at the different location of San Diego Airport (where my departing flight was) wouldn't work.

After calling my cousin, I decided to cancel the whole trip.

Kim could have picked us up in Northern San Diego and driven us to the main airport to pick up the car rental. But the breaking straw for me was the amount of time we would be in traffic. I could have managed the long layovers. But to ask the kids to be in the car for hours afterward: I couldn't do that.

So we went home. I was trying to be really positive and so the remaining part of the day was great. While the kids took a nap I called the airline and negotiated the return of the cancellation fee. The total amount spent on our tickets will now be spent on a trip to Hawaii in February to see our friends get married, so no money will be lost in the long run.

But, bummer! I was really looking forward to this!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Life is good.

So I have been pretty quiet on the computer lately. Part of the reason is the wonderful weather we have been enjoying. The kids and I have been in the yard digging, riding wheely-things, getting wet, swinging, getting dirty. All things that are best enjoyed in the summer.

Living with a two year old and a pre-verbal toddler is not quiet. North has TONS of ideas and verbal sparring to do as Skyler chimes in whenever he spots a break in the noise. By the time the kids are in bed, I just want silence. Including from myself.

I have been doing a lot of reading online. Nothing research oriented, just browsey stuff. I have enjoyed thinking about the power of bacteria and the influences on our bodies as read in these two different articles.

Skyler and North have been a joy. Sky is taking steps here and there. He will walk across a room partway, then fall down to his knees to quickly crawl to his destination. Today I caught him in the laundry room up on top of the second shelf, eating dry cat food. I guess our house needs more baby-proofing! I am continuously amazed by his climbing skills.

North, Reed and I have been experimenting with North's bedtime time. North has been taking long afternoon naps as Sky has been shortening his own naps. Sky desperately wants to go to sleep by 6:00, North was not so ready.

So following North's lead one night as he announced that he was feeling tired and ready for Sleepytime at 8:30, we changed the hard, fast bedtime to a flexible, North-led decision. The goal is to help North understand the cues his body gives him regarding a need to sleep. Rather then struggle with keeping North in bed to have him quietly, yet painfully endure hours of wakefulness, I choose to validate his needs.

My big concern was that I wouldn't get my quiet time. But as the summer evenings linger on, Reed and North have found plenty to do without me. North goes out in the field with Reed when practicing with his bow, they go on short walks. It really has opened up an opportunity for kid-time that normally would be hidden from Reed because of his working all day. North soaks up the extra Daddy-time.

However, in order for this to work happily for all involved, I reserve the right to call it a night.

North understands that if he is whiny or grumpy, he gets sent to bed. I verbally identify what behaviors I see in him so that he can learn to recognize his own body cues.

We are giving this time. Maybe it will only work this summer. Maybe it is only working because Sky is cutting his last teeth and therefore sleeps less during the day.

I don't know.

The point is that I parent with my kids. Not as a friend, but not as a Soviet dictator.

Life is good.

Skyler turns 1










Facebook

Mom, there are pictures of Fern Canyon on Facebook. Just in case you were interested.

=)

Baseball game


Last Sunday, a friend was playing baseball in the afternoon.
So we went to watch the game with his family.


"Hey you dapper-looking man. Want to come home with me?"
(wink, wink)
"Oh fine. Your baby can come with you!"


He does make some beautiful kids.


Running the bases after the game with a friend.

Because 2 year olds never run out of energy.


Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Both kids love this shopping cart. North once went for a walk around the neighborhood with the cart loaded with toys. ...I hope he hasn't mapped out his future yet...

Sunday evening, we watched Reed light fireworks in our private cul-de-sac. The show was nice, but CA fireworks are so boring! Next year we will go to Oregon, nothing like seeing people shoot cannons and mortars from their shoulders to show patriotism. Watch out enemy terrorists, we have illegal fireworks!

On that note, here is my dear husband willingly posing before he whacks the head off Baby Rooster. Our two roosters got along for over a year, but their relationship finally sucumbed to excessive testosterone. I caught Baby Rooster holding Big Rooster down as he ripped out the elder's crown. Big Rooster recovered in a cage on my dryer for a few days as Baby Rooster lived out his final days. We choose to keep Big Rooster because he is a very mellow rooster with no inclination to chase kids or dogs.

Baby Rooster was also a rapist. He would fly across the yard to pin down a hen, do his thing, and flutter away all in a matter of seconds. Reed's dad watched the show once while visiting. His comment: "Damm, I would get arrested for doing that!"

Chicken soup is on the menu for this week. Revenge is sweet.


Sky's first time putting his toes in the water. We went to the beach after going to the Fish Festival with Reed's uncle.

Picture from the Trinidad Museum of a past lighthouse built off the head. Would you be nervous?

Carved eel hook for catching eel out of the Klamath. A friend of Reed's has been with some Natives' as they were fishing for the eel. He says it was intense and very cool.

Barbecuing salmon. No farmed, dyed fish here!

Monday, July 5, 2010

Sunday

We lucked out with parking and got a spot right next to the ball field.

The Plaza had food, kids games and crafts, live music, African dancing, cool vendors. And the weather was warm!

The best dessert ever! Shaved fruit frozen in juice. It was better then ice cream or a smoothie.

All four of us rode on an old fire engine. We sat near the front, Sky sat on the hose. He loved the speed!

After a while, we went to the baseball game. Rather then brave the bleachers, we brought a blanket and spread out on the grass. Much nicer then bleachers.


Did I mention it was hot?