Coop-eration

I have probably mentioned this before on the blog, but one of the best things I have done as a parent is find other parent-friends, and more specifically, to find other parent-friends who are willing to be part of a babysitting co-op. Here is how it works: we agree to watch each other's kids instead of always paying for costly babysitters. The kids love playing together, while the parents can enjoy a few hours of their own time. At the end, we parents simply swap poker chips to keep track of the hours they watched a kid versus the hours they needed someone to watch their child. It is awesome. And, I can honestly say I enjoy having other kids at our house, as much as I like the breaks.

Here is a recent playdate Carolyn had with her friend, Sandy. Her mom had to go to a baby shower an hour away, while her dad was remodeling their basement. We had a blast with the girls; I just love to watch Carolyn interact with her friends. This was the first time that we co-oped for this family, but Carolyn and Sandy were fast friends. Carolyn has already asked me when her friend Sandy can come back.

playing in the snow, making a snow elephant.

making cookies and muffins

They had to go potty together, and sat very close when watching TV

Now that I just earned 4 poker chips for watching Sandy, Steve and I should probably put in a request to get away for a few hours sometime soon. What shall we do with our date night? Hmm.

Girls versus Boys

Oh no, is it happening? Are we really going to have to go through the princess phase in our household?

Carolyn loves all things girly right now. She will tell us, repeatedly, each day, that her favorite color is pink. She thinks she is a ballerina, especially when she wears her silver ballet shoes. She loves wearing dresses, and would pick a pink dress to wear everyday if I let her. (Recently, I had to tell her that her favorite dress is a "jammy dress" so that she would wear it to bed, rather than insist on wearing it everyday.)

Interestingly, the other day I was listening to a radio show that talked about toddler girls, and how at this age, children learn the difference between girls and boys and want to assert their gender identity. This fits Carolyn to a T. In addition to all things girly, she asks a lot of questions about which friends are girls and which are boys. She always asks to see the girl bathroom and the boy bathroom, so she can point out that the girls on the sign wear dresses, while the boy on the sign wears pants. (the gender-neutral person in a wheelchair confuses her a bit).

Anyway, given this phase in a child's development where the concept of gender becomes salient in their rapidly expanding minds and imaginations, Disney should be commended (or perhaps condemmed is the better word). They are very savvy - marketing geniuses! The princesses are complete plays on this phase in a child's development. I really wish we could avoid it, and I am going to try hard to limit Carolyn's exposure to the princesses, but I doubt I will be able to avoid it altogether. If you ask me, the depiction of those princesses whose waists are the same size as their necks, who rarely have friends to support them, and who have to find a man to live happily ever after, are a poor representation of what it means to be a girl in today's society. While I will not completely shelter her from the world of the princesses, I do hope that we are able to teach and show Carolyn other more constructive examples of what it means to be a girl during this formative stage of development and throughout her life. She deserves to be exposed to diversity, no matter what the form, and hopefully, she will assert herself as an strong individual who can make her own path in life. That is my wish for my child, no matter if she were a girl or boy.

All that said, here she is playing with her friend, Elise.

Ice Skating

She may not be a pro, but she was not all that bad (especially not for a 2.5 year old). After a few moments, she started to understand her balance and center of gravity better. We went with our friends Mark and Bri and their son, Xavier.

Next winter, we will probably expose her to skiing. Then, perhaps we can find a lesson for her to master the ski jump or the luge or bobsledding. Why not? Well, maybe not.

A random 60 degree week in FEBRUARY

This weekend, we took advantage of the warm weather and spent a lot of time outside. We went to the zoo and the park, and Leo got some long walks. I just read the weather report saying that a major winter storm is coming our way, so I guess the spring temperatures are just a short one-week hiatus in the middle of winter.

12-Month Family Photo Challenge

The photo is blurry, but it is all of us, and that is the only rule of my family photo challenge. We are eating a fine dinner that Steve made for us girls for Valentines Day. Homemade noodles/dumplings, swedish meatballs, roasted carrots, warm spinach salad, and pudding. All of my favorites! He is a good man. I am a lucky girl.

Happy Valentines Day

We met several other families at a local nursing home to celebrate Valentine's Day. The party started with an intergenerational music class. Carolyn loved the music class. She doesn't miss a thing, as she practically sits on the teacher's lap.

After the music class, we all decorated cookies. The cookies looked pretty inedible, but the kids and the residents all treasured their sugary candy-filled creations.

Say Cheese

On Friday, Carolyn had "picture day" at daycare. She was so excited for it because she got to wear her silver shoes to school. At 2am, she woke up and came downstairs to tell me that it was picture day. At 3am, she came down again with her silver shoes. Then, at 4am, she woke up again asking me about the dress she was going to wear. Finally, when I woke her up at 8am, she was crabby and tired until I reminded her that it was picture day. She quickly got up, wanted me to blowdry her hair, and even asked me to take some pictures of her so she could practice her smile. Here are her practice shots ..... I will update once I receive her actual school pictures. I am sure they will be lovely!

The non-football superbowl party

I really have no interest in the Superbowl, or football for that matter. So instead of going to an official football party, I invited some other non-football-loving friends and kids over. We made pizzas. The kids made valentines (some of you blog readers received these beauties!). My favorite part of the evening was when all of the kids were begging to go downstairs and watch TV. So, we let them. From left to right, Carolyn, Elise, Oliver, Max, Lukas.

We are coming to OHIO

.... it is still a way's off, but I thought I would announce our summer travel plans. Becky, Steve, Carolyn will arrive in Cleveland on Friday June 24th. We will be in the Cleveland-area until about June 28th or 29th. Then, we will make our way to Centerville, where we will be until July 5th. We look forward to seeing both of our families.

Where she spends her days .... update

A while back, I posted a few photos of Carolyn at daycare. Here are a few more of her, in the "twos" classroom. Her teachers are Sarah and Angela. She loves her friends, and learns so many new songs while at school. Her favorite song right now goes like this, "Willaby Wallaby. Woo Woo." Then there is something about an elephant on her head. I might have to ask her teachers what the song really is about.

Her favorite friends are probably Ellie, Grant, and Nora -- all of whom are shown in the picture below. She likes her buddies Ella and Connor, too. Nathan is the biter (thank god, it is no longer my kid), and Carolyn gives me an update nearly every day about whether Nathan bit anyone. She always says, "I tell Nathan 'No biting your friends'" and "He is getting better." Let's hope so. I know how embarassing and frustrating it is to have the biter as your child.

Everyday, twice a day, unless it is below 20 degrees, the kids get to go outside on the playground. I think this is Carolyn's favorite part of the day.

One of the big things they work on in this classroom is "self care" .... the kids learn how to put on their own snow clothes and shoes. They are encouraged to pull up their own pants when going to the bathroom. They have to get their placemats before meals and throw away their napkins after their meals. Carolyn is definitely improving in her self-care skills, but her pants are often on backwards and her shoes on the wrong feet. However, she is so proud that she did it herself, that she rarely allows you to fix them.

Hair Cuts are Fun!

While waiting to get your hair cut, you can play on the slide.

During the hair cut, you can drive a pink car.

While your hair is being blow-dried, you get to watch a movie about unicorns.

And the finished product is so cute!

Oh yeah, they give you lollipops and baloons when you are all done. And sparkle spray in your hair, too! Now, that is worth $12.50.

The year of the bunny

Happy Chinese New Year. Carolyn donned her red kimono (thanks Jessica!) to usher in the year of the rabbit.

Holiday

Carolyn learned a new word, holiday! And, oh how she loves her holidays!

On February 10th, my mom called and asked whether we would mind her coming for a last-minute trip, arriving on the 17th. ...... Do we mind? No way. Steve and I had been scrambling the week before because my trip to New Orleans (which had been planned for quite some time) suddenly was colliding with Steve's rescheduled sales meeting in Cleveland. We had thankfully found some friends who were willing to watch Carolyn for the time when both steve and I were going to be gone, but now even better, grandma would be here.

I do not think Carolyn even realized that both mommy and daddy were gone. Or if she did realize, she did not care because she and Grandma had a lot of fun on their holiday together. They had slumber parties every night. They did crafts and games every day. They baked cookies. They bought new ballerina shoes. And, Carolyn saw her first movie (Tangled) at the movie theater. She liked it, but thought it "was a little scary." When the bad guys came on the screen, she sat up really straight and said, "Help me! I have to go to the bathroom." The next time they came on, she turned to me and said, "I think I need to run away." In the middle of the movie, she decided she needed to sit in the front row so she could "touch the big TV" and "dance with the pretty girl."

Several times since Grandma left, she has asked if we can have a holiday. In her mind, holiday means that she does not have to go to school, and that Grandma comes with her bag of tricks and surprises!

THANKS, MOM.

I think this was your best visit ever because we really needed you!

Carolyn can't stop talking about her holiday.

Nawlins

Or as most of us know it, New Orleans .....

I met Kristin, Kristin, and Jen for a weekend getaway in New Orleans in late January. We flew in on Thursday, left on Sunday, and did plenty in between.

On Thursday night, we ordered a Hurricane from Pat Obrien's, wandered around Bourbon Street, drank more than we probably wanted to, listened to some music, played washboards with a cajun band, and enjoyed the comforts of our beds at the Roosevelt Hotel.

Friday, we started our day with a bike tour of the Creole neighborhoods. The weather was colder than we would have liked, and our tour guide, Cassady, told us more history than we probably wanted to know, but it was a great way to get some fresh air and see parts of the city that we would not have seen otherwise. Our lunch was a Po' Boy from Johnny's. After wandering around the French Quarter some more, we stopped for beignets and coffee at Cafe du Monde, which lulled all of us into a restful slumber (a 2 hour nap!). We woke up, refreshed and ready to go out for the evening (except for Kristin K, who was fighting with a headache all day). Our evening's events started at the Sazerac bar in the lobby of the Roosevelt, where Jen and I both enjoyed a Ramos Gin Fizz (probably the best cocktail I have ever had). Jen, the other Kristin, and I went to Three Muses for dinner, where we enjoyed a bounty of delicious small plates, snappy live music, and a great atmosphere. We ended our night with the late show at Snug Harbor, where we were entertained by the jazz offerings of the Ellis Marsalis trio.

Saturday, of course, started with food. We took the street car to the Garden District, where we enjoyed some greasy comfort food at Slim Goodies Diner. We wandered around the area, admiring the architecture, explored a cemetary, and tried to find the Real World house. I am pretty sure we also had a cocktail or two, somewhere along the way. Oh, and Kristin S tried to get us hooked on the geo-caching craze, but none of us really fell for it (sorry, Kris). Next, we explored the Backstreet Cultural Museum, a quirky museum (that I think was in the guy's home, but I am not sure) that highlights the cultural traditions and institutions of African-American culture in New Orleans – Mardi Gras Indians, Jazz Funerals and Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs. Afterwards, we bought some pralines, drank a Pimms Cup and Sazeracs at the Napolean House, tasted a muffaletta, and went back to the hotel to nap and watch a movie. Dinner was at Commander's House. The highlight of the meal, for me, was the soup sampler (turtle, gumbo, artichoke-crab). The bread pudding souffle was also pretty good.

On Sunday, it was time to wake up early and head home. In our short weekend, we managed to see the major sites, enjoy all of the culinary mainstays of New Orleans, and even saw a random parade on the street. All this, plus a nap each day.

Thanks, girls, for a great trip.

When can we do it again? And where?