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March 18, 2004
March 18, 2004
Last night I made chicken potpie, mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables for dinner. Hana, Mike & I all put on our shamrock tattoos on our right cheek, shared a Guinness (we only let Hana have a sip b/c well, heck, she’s about 80% Irish so why not? She hasn’t cultivated a taste for it yet though…it ended up in a pool of spit on the high chair tray), and had a nice, quiet St. Patrick’s Day Dinner. The rest of my family met for dinner out at a pub in the University District called The Irish Emigrant, but we weren’t given enough advanced notice to find a babysitter, so home we stayed for our own mellow festivities. I dream of the day we can visit Ireland….someday, someday. We have plenty of free places to stay (relatives everywhere, and always begging our family to come visit) and my brother highly recommends it, as he was literally treated like royalty when he visited several homes a couple of years ago.
Yesterday afternoon Hana got hyped up on lots of green sugar confections and seemed to enjoy being Irish a’plenty. Over the course of the afternoon, she inhaled green shamrock cookies, green pudding, a green Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s, and several green M&M’s. Bleck. Sugar high. She covered herself in shamrock stickers and (fake) tattoos, and watched Irish Dancers on PBS with rapt attention. Who knew St. Paddy’s Day could be so full of thrills? We went to my mom’s in the afternoon, and visited my Uncle John, who just arrived in town from Texas. If ever a man looked Irish, it is my Uncle John. Bright red hair, green eyes, freckled skin and a bit of a leprechaun air about him (God willing, he’ll never read this)—he just blended so well into our Irish Day. Hehe.
Lately Hana has become overly fond of her footy pj’s (you know the kind I mean? One piece that zips up the front, with built-in feet). Although she has about 3 pair of really cute 2-pc Old Navy jammies (I first typed “jimmies”—yikes), she will only entertain the notion of her footie pj’s right now. She wants to wear them all day long, and completely falls apart when we insist she actually get dressed for the day. I mean REALLY falls apart—falling on the floor, screaming kind of falling apart. What to do, what to do? When it doesn’t really matter (ie. we’re not going anywhere), I’ve taken to just letting her stay in the stupid pajamas. But otherwise, I have found no way around the tantrum, so I end up forcing clothes onto a screaming, flailing, stiff-bodied toddler. Eventually she calms down, but if we pass by her dresser, it all starts anew as she begins flinging through her pj drawer looking for a pair of footy pj’s. She’s persistent for sure. Any tips, anyone? Right now I’m just banking on the “this too shall pass…” theory. Although I do recall having a penchant for wearing my own pajamas to kindergarten so I may be in this for a long haul.
I just reached into my purse for my lipstick and came out with a small, green plastic golf club. There would have been a day that was odd, but not now. I wonder-does she do this on purpose--leave small surprises for her mom to find in her purse at work? Doubtful, but it’s nice to find funny little treats in my handbag that brighten my day (so long as they are non-perishables).
Did I mention that my employee will begin telecommuting May 3? To refresh memories, I’ve been waging a campaign here at work to allow one of my employees (a single mom who commutes upwards of 2.5 hours each day) to telecommute, offering her some additional flexibility in her crazy daily schedule, and her adorable 5-year old son far less time in daycare each day. Well, I’ve SUCCEEDED! It feels just awesome. She is thrilled, ecstatic, and forever grateful. I help lots of people each day in my work, with the primary accomplishments being saving people lots of money (in medical bills), providing them with medical or disability coverage that was previously denied to them, and/or simply saving them lots of time by helping them get through the complicated maze that is our healthcare system. I get thanks every day from people, and it is a wonderful thing. This, though, this accomplishment feels greater, because I work with this woman every day, I know her personal struggles and I know her darling son, and I know what a huge, positive impact this will have in her life. She is not just a voice on the other end of the line. I’m not boasting, I am just downright happy and proud of this accomplishment.
It could potentially mean I may be able to telecommute someday too, so I have some personal stake in this too. This employee is acting as sort of a “pilot program” four our whole division, with me heading this project up. If it is successful (and I am damn sure going to guarantee success as best I can), we may open this work arrangement up to other associates and other positions for which it is feasible. Myself included, hopefully (knock on wood).
This afternoon after work I’m making a run to Costco, and I’m already dreading it a bit. There are some essentials I need there and I’ve been putting it off too long as it is. Hopefully my mother-in-law will go with me and help corral Hana. She hates sitting in grocery carts. Safeway even has these nifty carts that have a toy truck in the front that the kids can sit in and “drive,” but Hana isn’t fooled. She wants to walk, and preferably push her own cart. For awhile she was just completely out of control, but she’s gotten better lately. She’s pretty good now about following closely on my heels, although if she has her own (kiddie) cart, those sticky little fingers go to work, and she ends up with a cartful of candy, fruit snacks and other colorful treats that catch her eye. Trust me, the tellars don’t like it when you show up with a cartful of things and say “oh, we don’t want any of this…” Whoops. Learned my lesson. Bad mom. We’re staying at my MIL for dinner tonight; lasagna I believe.
Is “Friends” still the “best of” re-runs? I’m ready for the end of the last season to get on with it already.
Has anyone out there read that new(ish?) book, The Mommy Myth? I’ve heard about it on a few radio talk shows and it has been mentioned in a couple of articles I read lately. I read the reviews on Amazon and they seem all over the place. Just curious if anyone has any feedback. My curiosity is piqued so I may call the library and see if they have bought a copy yet…
Our company brings in a massage therapist for 2 days every other week. My appointment is in about 10 minutes, so I’d better be off shortly, but want to mention one other thing that just came to mind. This massage therapist, Susie, is just an incredible woman. Very much a free-spirit and very intelligent, thoughtful and spiritual. Last weekend she went to Oregon to visit her best friend, whose (13 yr old) daughter just got her first period. This mom organized a small celebration for her daughter, to honor this step into womanhood, by inviting 4 of the most important adult women in her lives down for an overnight visit. They all set up a tent in her backyard, decorated it, filled it with quilts and blankets and candles. Each woman brought readings, small tokens, gifts and words of advice that they felt related to this important event and celebrated the sisterhood of being a woman. This all came about because her mom had just read “The Red Tent” (by Anita Diamante--sp?—if you haven’t read it, DO) and thought that this big event in a girl’s life needs to be celebrated and recognized, and in our culture, it just isn’t. Well, I am just dying to get up there and see Susie and hear all about it. Isn’t that just incredible? Perhaps a little corny, but I just think it sounds magical and wonderful, and I sure wish I would have been honored and celebrated like that at that monumental time in my girlhood.
~Jessica
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