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June 23, 2003
6.23.03:
Anyone want to trade places?
The temperatures and humidity in Texas have us melting all over the sidewalks. The heat index for today is 107º and tomorrow it will be 110º. When will it end? All my friends on the east coast are sick and tired of the nonstop rain, and here we are in Texas ready to trade places.
Father's Day...
Jerry wanted to relax and take it easy this year for Father’s Day. He grilled NY strip steaks while I made twice baked potatoes and corn on the cob. Rachel and I baked a chocolate cake which we decorated together with colorful sprinkles. Rachel made a picture frame at school which she glued, painted and decorated. The school took pictures of kids wearing fishing gear, and this was the picture she put in the frame. I think it’s his favorite gift. He has it displayed front and center on our fridge. Rachel also made Jerry a necklace out of her bead making kit. She spelled out his name and put star beads in between the letters of his name. She’s working on necklaces for her Grandma and cousins right now. Rachel decided that Jerry would open his presents on Saturday night. He got clothing for our upcoming vacation and a grilling basket so we can grill fish without it falling apart on the grill. He enjoyed his cards, even Sanders (the dog) gave him a card this year. Mitch took off with the tissue wrap and Rachel played with the gift bag. The things that make them happy.
Rachel...
We are so pleased with Rachel’s preschool. We see so many new developments and changes in her, all for the better. Each week, they feature a new theme. Last week’s theme was camping. They built a tent in class, made a hiking necklace (strung with pretzels, Froot Loops, and other snacks for a hike), took flashlights and sleeping bags to class, and took their naps in the tent/sleeping bags. They had show-and-tell on Friday. Each student had to bring a favorite item that fit in a small lunch bag. They had to tell 3 things they liked about their item. Rachel took her Halloween flashlight that has interchangeable caps for the end. The caps have different shapes like a cat, a pumpkin, and a ghost. She told the class that she likes to take Mitch into the powder room and shine the flashlight on the wall and ceiling. They both giggle while taking turns shining it on the wall. They also like to shine it inside Mitch’s Bob-the-Builder tent and play with it with the lights out. Last week the school brought in a moon walk for the day and the kids took turns, by classrooms, jumping in it. Rachel’s room got to jump twice. She learned the hokey pokey which she is trying to teach to Mitch (yeah, right). Thursdays are Splash Day where the children can bring their swimsuits and flip flops. They play under the sprinklers and make mud pies. It’s fun to be a kid.
Rachel has made several new friends. Her best friend is Avery and they have become especially close. They take dance classes together and we schedule play dates outside of school. Avery’s mom (Stephanie) is really nice and we enjoy getting together, emailing, and even talking on the phone. Which, for me, is a big deal. I do not like to talk on the phone, but Stephanie and I have talked for more than an hour at a time, and I’ve never found myself looking at my watch or trying to get off the phone. Stephanie & Richard have been trying to have another child and she just emailed me this week with the exciting news that they are excepting another child. She thinks she is 8 weeks along. We are so happy for them.
Mitch…
He seems to have a lot more to say these days, whether it be a big “NO” or asking for a SUCKER. He loves suckers. He will go to the fridge and pull on the door to ask for MILK. We will tell him, “go to your chair,” and he runs to his chair and waits patiently for his drink or food. He loves snack time. He walks in the pantry and says “NACK,” instead of snack. So far, he can count to 2. One, two! He’s still very attracted to yellow, he calls it “WELLO.” He’s learned to crawl underneath our swing gates at the top and bottom of our staircase. He knocks over the gates in the play room and the butler’s pantry. He’s still opening the dishwasher and standing on the door. One of these days, it will break. There are only two places we can still contain him. One is his booster seat (because it has a seatbelt). It’s on the lowest setting (height wise), but thank God for the seatbelt. The only other place we thought we could contain him was his crib. We have been putting off dealing with moving him out of his crib for this reason. Saturday afternoon, he didn’t want to take his nap. He yelled and stood up by the rail, and I shut the door and told him “night, night.” I went downstairs and could hear him making a racket (he loves to jump up and down in his crib as well as throw blankets and toys and his pillow and sipper cup on the floor). I figured he would grow tired and take his nap. I was wrong. Later, I checked on him, and found him on the floor, sound asleep with his thumb in his mouth and his bum sticking up in the air. I asked Jerry to come upstairs with me to check on him. We decided to wake him to make sure he didn’t have a head injury. He obviously jumped out of his crib and I feared he must have landed on his head. He made a mess of his room, too, by moving the rocking chair out of the corner and knocking a picture off the wall. This is one reason I didn’t want to move him from a crib to a bed, because he will get up and make a mess of his room and not sleep. When we return from our vacation in July, we will have to decide what kind of bed to buy for Mitch. I want to get bunk beds because (1) we had them as kids and loved them; (2) they are fun; (3) they are versatile—you can stack them or split them like Wally and the Beaver; and (4) if we have company, we can move Rachel into one of the beds, and then we will have two full guest rooms for company (a couple & children). Jerry wants to get him a toddler bed; he thinks it’s better to have Mitch closer to the floor, but I think it’s just asking for it. We looked at toddler beds two years ago when Rachel moved from her crib at 22 months. They seemed cheap and I didn’t like the ones made of hard plastic. We decided against a toddler bed for Rachel and put her in a captain’s bed, instead. It sits high off the ground and has three sets of drawers underneath. We love the storage, and she likes to climb the stairs to her bed. We bought a safety rail, and she’s never fallen out or gotten out to play in the middle of the night. The other factor is I don’t want to waste money on a cheap toddler bed, when we will obviously buy a real bed for Mitch. And it’s not like I want to toss Mitch up to the top bunk the first night, but he will probably climb up there in no time if given a ladder. I do like the other alternative of setting up the top bunk bed and using the area underneath for a desk/play area. Mitch’s room is smaller than Rachel’s and a full set of bunk beds may overwhelm the room. If anyone has any ideas or especially loves their toddler bed, please let me know why or why not.
Megan…
Sewing classes are moving along. I can’t believe the final one is this week. I’ve really enjoyed them. They are on Thursday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. The classes are two blocks from my office. I get off work at 4 p.m., so that leaves me with 3 glorious hours to myself before classes. I’ve been able to see a few movies and run some errands. It’s been nice and I’ve made good use of this private time. Trust me, as someone who works full time, spends hours commuting, and has two young children, when someone hands me 3 hours to myself, I will make the most of it. It’s like a gift. If someone offered me a brand new pair of shoes or a dress, I’d much prefer the gift of TIME. Just a simple index card that read: “Here, this is 3 hours of time to do whatever the heck you want.” I’d run with it and not look back.
Car Woes…
I pulled into Mister Car Wash and the attendant caught my attention and pointed to my tires. I rolled down the window and he showed me that the front tires were especially (dangerously) worn down to the metal threads. We looked at all four tires and noticed an irregular pattern worn into the tires. After my car wash, I drove two doors down to NTB and bought 4 Michelins and a front end alignment. Apparently, my car was out of alignment (why didn’t I notice this?) and this ruined the tires. The SUV is 4 years old. When it was 2 years old, we had the tires replaced as it was part of the line of recalled Firestone tires. Two years later, and those tires are shot. Even though I mostly travel to/from work, I do put a lot of miles on the car. It has 70,000 miles on it already. Last Thursday, the car was sluggish turning over in the morning. I didn’t want to be stranded that night after sewing class, so I took it in for an oil change and new air filter. I asked them to check the battery. The amperage for the SUV requires a minimum of 700 amps and mine tested at 265. Time for a new battery.
Parting with a favorite product…(wahhh!)
This weekend, I took the kids to run errands while Jerry mowed the lawn. They said to expect thunderstorms in the afternoon, so Jerry wanted to get the yard done. We filled up the gas tank, stopped at Blockbuster, went to the bank, Target, and the library. We drove home for Mitch’s nap, and then Rachel & I went to the grocery store and stopped at Bath & Body Works. It seems BBW is discontinuing some of their products and, of course, just when I got hooked on the stuff (thanks to Jenn), I find out they are getting rid of my personal favorite. They were running a sale (buy one get one free) on the discontinued products. My favorite is the Green Clover creamy body wash. They had 16 tubes on the shelf and I bought them all. I guess it was a great “deal,” but at the same time, they will not make this fragrance any more. I use one tube every 3 weeks, so I have enough to last me through next June. It’s not the end of the world. I should be able to live with something else (or perhaps I’ll get sick of Green Clover) by then? Several friends are allergic to grass and can’t understand why I like Green Clover. There’s something for everyone.
Swimming…
We bought swim vests for the kids this weekend and took them to the pool. Our community has two pools, a large pool with a diving board for adults and older children who can swim and a kiddie pool which is a big pool, 1’9” deep. We drove the kids over to the pool and we all got in the kiddie pool. The water was so hot, I swear, it felt just like a hot tub. Ugh! Rachel likes to splash and run in the water, but Mitch just dives in. We definitely have to keep an eye on him. He was standing right beside us and then all of a sudden, he takes the Nestea Plunge and he’s floating with his face in the water. Jerry grabbed him and he was sputtering but went right back in. He thinks he can float and swim, but obviously he can also drown. After 15 minutes of sitting in the hot water, we decided to take the kids into the big pool. Boy, how refreshing! Mitch was so free and loose, ready to float away on his own. Rachel was more cautious, staying close to me and clinging to me for the most part. There were lots of other young girls swimming and I think this encouraged her to try. She likes to put her face under the water.
Raccoon eyes…
Rachel and I went back to Target to return an extra mascara which I can’t wear. I usually wear Clinique products, including their mascara. When Corinne was visiting, she suggested several different mascaras for me to try. Why spend $12 for a tube of mascara if you can get the same thing for $5? That weekend, I noticed Target was having a sale on mascara, the kind in the pink tube with the green lid. It got good reviews in Glamour’s annual cosmetics review. It was normally $3.99 and was on sale for 2/$5. I bought them. Well, at least in my case, you get what you pay for. It was terrible mascara. Maybe it’s just the humidity in Texas, but I found myself with black circles under my eyes mid-morning, it was thick and clumpy and did not make my lashes feel silky, etc. Back to the story. Rachel & I went back to Target to return the second tube of mascara that I will never use. We were at the customer service counter and the employees were talking about the new Harry Potter book. I had already got on the waiting list for it at our library and wasn’t planning to buy it. They employees said it was on sale for $16.24 and they (as employees) could take another $1 off the price as well as use their employee discount of 10%. They were talking about the drawing that the store was having at 4 p.m. for a Harry Potter book. I looked at my watch. It was 3:55. I asked if I could put my name in the hat, and they said yes. Rachel needed to go to the potty, so we made a bee line for the ladies room. When we came out, they were announcing the winner of the Harry Potter Book: Megan Millimaki. Man, you would have thought I won the lottery. I never win anything. Well, I take that back. I did win at BINGO about 20 years ago. I was so excited I jumped up in the air and shouted BINGO and everyone just looked at me like, “lady, what IS your problem?”
Warmly,
Megan
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