World Cup Connections

For all of you who don't follow football (I'm talking soccer, here), you might not be aware that the World Cup is starting next week. One of the reasons why I know that it begins is because I read like crazy, and recently read something about the problems of prostitution in South Africa, and how the government is trying to prepare itself by handing out millions of condoms (they've had a history of AIDS issues, as well). The other reason is because I am, however vaguely, interested in Team USA's goalie, Tim Howard.

My earliest memory if Tim is from first grade. He was the tallest kid in our class and was one of the first kids I'd ever met whose skin was a different color than mine (his mom is Hungarian and his dad is African American). Also, he teased me like crazy. For these reasons, I was really intimidated by him! It must have gotten bad enough that I told my mother about it. I distinctly remember the spot on the playground where she stood and verbally reprimanded Timmy Howard, in front of all the other kids in Ms. Nicodemus's class. I was embarrassed, but I also don't remember being teased by him anymore!

Flash forward-- he got really, really good at playing soccer, and did so for most of his young life. He finished out the last two years of high school with me at our alma mater, North Brunswick Township High School. We didn't have many classes together (although I sat behind his brother, Chris, in geometry) but I did end up taking his picture for the yearbook-- he won "Most Athletic". He led our basketball team to the state finals, and those were some pretty exciting games to watch.

Tim went on to play for the MetroStars (here in the US), Manchester United, and Everton (both in the UK). He's now married with two kids and a devout Christian. He's afflicted with Tourette's syndrome (something I don't remember knowing during our early years) but doesn't let that stop him from being one of the best goalies out there.

All of this is on my mind because I just finished reading a profile of Tim in The New Yorker. If you don't check out the article, you might be interested to watch the video below.

Good luck to you, Tim, and the rest of the team! I know the world will be watching-- no pressure!

You Gotta be Kidding Me...

Are you aware that Enfamil has put out a new line of formula for toddlers that comes in chocolate and vanilla flavors? I mean, seriously?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends having toddlers drink whole milk until age two. So between milk and water, and probably the occasional juice, this is what your child should develop a taste for in the first two years of his life.
But chocolate? Vanilla?
Enfamil's peeps explain that they are catering to kids who won't drink it otherwise... OMG what baloney.
I know someone who gave her kids strawberry milk for a long time... each time they had milk to drink... I had a bit of a talking with her, and shortly thereafter, it subsided.
I don't CARE if it is made with artificial sweeteners/doesn't have more calories/gets my kids to drink more of it...
You're consciously building a desire for added sweet to something that is already naturally sweet! You're getting your baby to understand that chocolate is good and necessary to have as a beverage on a regular basis...
Who are the doctors who've endorsed this stuff? Thankfully, there are moms on the other end of the spectrum getting the word out about this (and the Chicago Tribune).
Gets me to remember another post I read awhile back... Yes! Buy some greasy, breaded, beefed-up chicken! And we'll put money towards helping 'find the cure'! So wait-- obesity isn't one of the leading factors for cancer? Couldn't they at least make it the grilled kind?

Arugh... so that's my rant. I know there's bigger stuff going on in the world today... but this one seems like something we can at least control.

Many thanks to Dawn for forwarding this site. If you need a smile, or at least a laugh, click here now!
Also, LOVE this site... wish I had a need for the products...

YupYup

I'm betting you can't read that above... but what it says is that my brother's quad-rugby team is ranked as one of the top 20 in the country. Not an easy feat! He plays for the New York Warriors and truly enjoys it-- the physical sport as well as the camaraderie with his team mates. I took the kids to see him play in a regional match in South Jersey this winter... they loved it, but had a hard time sitting still for long. Last month they went to Alabama to play in the national competition. He had a blast. :)

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You know, when you're reading an article on most websites, they'll be a button you can click to share with others that you're reading that article? I'd assume most people do this via Facebook or Twitter. I've found that when I do it through Blogger, it creates a whole new post for you to view. Which is probably unnecessary.

So, I will continue to save the articles that I find most interesting and want to share with you all, and then put them together in a post such as this. Happy reading!

This woman certainly left her mark. God Said Multiply, and Did She Ever

Could all of those food allergies really just be food intolerance? And what is the difference? Doubt Is Cast on Many Reports of Food Allergies

Although I've never been a fan of the standard, required book report, it seems to be working in this case, and the kids love it! Local School Bus Driver Controls Chaos With Books

Still don't believe in miracles? Look at these pictures and explain how he survived. Libya Plane Crash

And in case you need another good reason to get your kids outside and interacting with the natural world around them, check out this recent research here.

Woe to Be a Met Fan

I can't say that these are my sentiments exactly, but it sure does bring up a good point.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/nyregion/27metsfans.html?hp

Who will you be rooting for starting tomorrow night?

Gotta Get 'Em In Here...

Normally, blogging during naptime (especially when BOTH are actually sleeping, as T's taken to doing 'quiet rest time' half the days) is a BIG NO-NO. But I'm afraid I'm going to miss some of these if I don't remember to put them down now.

First off: Here's a study done by a guy who worked in Jim's building at the U of I and we used to have drinks with often. Turns out you can get smarter by working out... sweet! More incentive to fit a work-out in for each of my days, right?

Yet another reason to freak out mommy-bloggers. Yes, it sucks that someone in some other country has found public pics of your kids and is using them without your permission. But do you really put naked pics of your kids online? No. (PS, I've got a great one just taken last week-- email me if you want to see it ;) But to not include pictures of your kids on a blog because of that fear? Geez. My kids would never get such a comprehensive documentation of their childhood had it not been for this site. And calm down about the Googlization fears, already. I'm all for regulation, that's fine... but use it less if you are afraid of what your cookies hold.

Had to read this one on edge a bit. Yep, that is me, to some degree. Interesting that it has become mainstream. Best line, that I need to remember more often: "Psychologists and psychiatrists generally say yelling should be avoided. It’s at best ineffective (the more you do it the more the child tunes it out) and at worse damaging to a child’s sense of well-being and self-esteem." It is haaard, but I like the idea of a mommy-time-out... very necessary on days (okay, every day) when every thing I say to T is responed to in the negative...

Um, because Bono wrote it. And Bono is a semi-god. So you can read it if you wish.

Now this is cool. If you've never used Pandora, don't worry-- I haven't either. But it is still interesting to read how those sharp minds and crazy algorithims can decide what you'll want to put on your iPod.

And finally: See that? It only took 'em ten years to figure out what your mother has been telling you all along... So do the hands-free headsets do the same thing? Or should we just use the speaker?

Random Thursday Night Pics

Pictures of my adorable men, taken by Jim, on a random Thursday evening when I was not home.
Glad to see they were totally having a blast.

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Big "duh" article of the day here. My kids could never avoid a situation like that... with my mouth and all... ;)

Trenton's Summer Pictures

Finally had a chance to take the pics off of his camera and post them here. A few of my faves, followed by a slideshow of others.

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Have you been following this? Entitled "When a Parent's

'I Love You' Means 'Do as I Say'".

I came across it the other day and like to read things

that make me reflect on my own job as a parent.

Follow up with this discussion here (which was sorely

necessary), and then especially this comment here,

which Jim and I both agree is closest to our opinions.

Virginia? Check.

Sixteen states down, a few more to go...

We spent last weekend in Virginia while Jim prepared for, ran, and recovered from The North Face Endurance Challenge 50K run at Algonkian Park. Even though he had a terrible cold and had forgotten his shoes at work (rough week), he still was able to finish the race. The weather was beautiful. We were able to come to the park with a picnic lunch and wait for him to cross the finish line.

See below.

Free massages were offered. Jim says that this method was so effective-- a combination of him pointing his toes and flexing his feet while the man pushed on his calves-- he felt incredible afterwards.

And this is how you nap if you are at an event during your regularly scheduled naptime. Not bad for a $20 sling. So compact, so many holds for the baby, so easy to clean... It is still my fave and I'm glad I got it.
Below, the kids try out a Gore-Tec interactive event. They supplied the raincoats and waterproof socks. Then the kids got into a 'rain simulator bus'. Didn't get wet at all! Unless you were Marcus and took your hood off... ;)

Two babes with their pacis... Wait a minute... the one on the left is going to be THREE in two weeks...
All added to the vegging-out-on-the-couch climate.
Many thanks to Shairna and Chris for being generous hosts. Lots of recovery food available and a fab new HEPA air filter for an air purifier. Last time we visited, my allergies were so bad, I couldn't talk for a week. This time, I think it was a combination of Claritin, cleaning, and the purifier that kept me itchy-free. Good deal.

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So I'm posting tonight rather than finishing my paper for class because I've been reminded by a handful of you out there in cyber-land, the people who actually read this blog and crave for more, that I haven't posted in a week.

Not to make excuses, but dude, things are getting crazy around here.

T's in preschool, which means coordinating the pick-up drop-offs (actually, we've been walking to school on most days, which is soooo nice to exercise... and Ollie gets to snag a nap on the return trip). We instituted a "no TV in the morning when it is a schoolday" rule. Helps him get moving with breakfast and clothing. He CAN do it all. It is just a question of if he WANTS to do it. We're picking our battles with him, but man, there have been a lot of battles lately...

Then we've got my class that eats up an enormous amount of time-- all of Thursday evening, as well as naptimes where I'm reading and writing up a weekly reflection. Don't even ask how the heck I'm going to add on a lesson plan for a clinic I'll be tutoring at each week ON TOP OF trips to a semi-local school where I'll be assessing two students and then instructing them for two weeks.

Arugh. I miss summer already.

Ollie is now in swim class on Thursday mornings. However, the Y neglected to tell me that he was the ONLY ONE signed up in his class. We flew solo last week. But I can switch to the class that meets a half hour earlier, only it is for kids who are a year and a half to three years old... I'd rather have him with the babies, but this will have to do for now.
He freakin' LOVES IT. Doesn't want me to hold him; would rather splash his entire body and face into the pool and kick me away (dude, you know you can't float on your own, right? this is totally a kid who is unfamilar with a pool and more at home at the beach).

I've decided that it is high time we remodel our bathrooms. Sorta. The sinks are rusting out and the oh-so-lovely almond-and-fake-wood vanities have seen better days. Plan is to go with these from IKEA because I LUUUUV IKEA and I'm psyched to be able to do something IKEA with our house without breaking the bank. We've even got a great guy to do the handywork... more on that later.

We're itching for a weekend for which we have no plans, as it has been nonstop all freaking summer. Which I usually like. But the list of things to do around the house keeps growing...

I bought some whole milk to try to give to Ollie. Figuring that I'll be gone a lot doing this tutoring thing and realizing that I only have about six bags of milk in storage, I wanted to see if he'd take it willingly. T did.
Put two ounces in a sippy cup and gave it to him. Good thing I had a bib around his neck, as he suck-suck-sucked and then spit it all out. Dribbled it down his chin and looked at me with the WTF?! face. I tried again a few mintues later. Same thing, only this time he physically pushed it away from me... Hm.... Perhaps because it was cold and not warm? Or because it was from a cow?
He is only 11 months old so no big dea.. And lord knows I've lost SO MUCH WEIGHT breastfeeding. Why stop? I'd like to gradually ease him out of his quickie nursing sessions, though... like the ones at 11AM and 4PM. I think I'll try again in a few days...

T came home with a picture from school today. They had glued a tree trunk onto a blue piece of paper and then pasted some crepe paper squares (leaves). Written across the top was "Trenton's Fall Tree". (I wonder if she knows he can write his own name...) Wild thing is, all the leaves were at the bottom. When asked to explain, he told me, "Mom, they all fell down. On the ground. It's FALL, Mom." Ahh... Smartypants... Didn't see any other kids with the leaves pasted on the ground ;)

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Woah, my pictures are starting to begin with the 000_ prefix. Does this mean that I've taken over a thousand pictures? I mean, you can only do DSCN for that many, right? Dude, that is a lot of pics. None of which are backed up anywhere (unless you count this blog) because it is ALSO on my list of things (that never got done) to do this summer...

And, finally, here is a neat site for you to do mindless alphabetical stuff on. Thanks, Bridget! I'm going to show it to T tomorrow. And for those of you with babies, you might wanna check out this free e-chapter of the best selling books for children ages 1-2 (although you could still be readin' to them from birth and on...). Big hint drop: we always love books as gifts :)

And He's Off!

That's right. Ollie is crawling.
Not dragging-one-leg-behind-me-like-a-limp-dog-crawling.
CRAWLING- crawling.
So much so that we had to haul out the baby gate from the attic last night, as he kept trying to scale the stairs.
He cruises on the furniture. From the couch, to the toybox, to the TV, to the footstool... Very happy that he can do it, too. You should see the smile on his face.
He's also mastered the sign for "all done". Used it today at lunch when we were halfway through a bowl of prunes and apricots.


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Trenton has croup. He's had it at least once before.
Starts with a mild fever, then runny nose... Then one night you hear him coughing like a seal. Usually it is viral and plays itself out. We used the cool midst humidifier last night and I think it really helped. He's a bit crankier, but also more cuddly.
Need to buy another bottle of Children's Tylenol... always pays to check for online coupons before going to the store... Someday I'll get my hands on a mobile device that allows me to just download them, as stated here.

***

I agree with this article here. Seems that with an early Memorial Day and a late Labor Day, this summer has been extra-long. I never NEVER wish summer away-- it is my favorite season. But fall has lots of benefits (Ollie's birthday, wearing jeans again, crisp smell in the air). And everyone knows that the best beach days are August and September... You can bet that we've got a few more trips in us. Especially now that the crowds have gone.

This one is for all of you out there who can't believe I'm not on Facebook. As I've said before, if I were on Facebook, when would I have time to blog? Seems like the tide is changing there. FAD.

And this is for all of you out there who don't know about Jim's running interests. Check out these shoes! He wears them when we go out; they look really comfortable. But odd, no?

PS If anyone wants to brave the shore this Labor Day weekend, know that we'll be there at least Saturday and Sunday... Either in Avon, Belmar, or Pt. Pleasant... drop me a line to meet up!

What's Running Through My Head

Hm. Seems as though the rules have changed, again.

The AAP now recommends that your child stay in a rear-facing car seat until age 2. Good summary about it here:
http://greenkiddos.blogspot.com/2009/08/aap-recommends-rear-facing-until-age-2.html

I can remember with Trenton thinking that his legs were getting long and hanging over the edge, and changing him into a new car seat as soon as he met the weight and age requirements (age 1).
But I will say, Ollie truly enjoys the rear-facing position, as he gets to watch Trenton while we drive. Maybe that will make it easier to keep him in this position as he grows up?

***
This one is for all of you non-parents out there, especially the ones who get all squirmy when you read about breastfeeding. Perhaps you'd rather I call it nursing, so as not to refer to the actual BREAST. Or those who think that it is indecent and should just be done in private. Because it makes YOU uncomfortable.
http://greenkiddos.blogspot.com/2009/08/breastfeeding-is-offensive-you-have-to.html
Mmm hmm. Now do you get it?

***

A follow up to our discussion on corruption in New Jeresy. Here, Jon Stewart (a Jersey native), tells it like it is.
http://news12.com/articleDetail.jsp?articleId=233548&position=6&news_type=news&rand=87960970

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Trenton was in a funk today when we went to the grocery store. Absolutely tantrum-y and whiny. He didn't want me to put the groceries in the cart (he wanted to go in instead). I never allow him to go in, due to safety reasons and because where would I put the groceries? I always bring cars, snacks, etc. to keep him occupied. But he was having none of that today.

As I was giving him a mini-time-out at the end of an isle, I had an older woman come up to us and plead with me to "Just let him go in the cart". She kept saying, "Awww, don't cry" (sounds like some grandparents I know...) She tried to reason with me that she had three kids, and that she always let them in the cart, and that I could just put the groceries around him. I tried my best to bite my lip and just carry on... Ten minutes later (still whining), I did put him in the cart. The whining decreased a bit, and he did a good job of punching the bag of chips, kicking the grapes, and poking a hole into the bag of peaches. The cold ice cream on his legs was the last straw-- he wanted out. And then proceeded to continue to cry and compain on the outside of the cart. My plan for the entire trip was to get what I needed -fast- and get out. Mostly I ignore the tantrum, speak calmly, and rush. But it sucks.

I tell you this story, because at the end of our trip, I had ANOTHER older lady come up to me and say "Don't you give into his whining! I have a son whose Italian father always told me to 'give him what he wants' and now he is COMPLETELY spoiled and doesn't know how to do anything for himself!" Made me feel a bit better about my actions. And you know what? Once we got to the check-out counter, he was all fine-and-dandy! "Look, Mommy! A Bumblebee balloon!"(obsessed with Transformers) Go figure... ;)

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He's been asking a lot about visiting characters that are on TV, about going into the TV set to see them, and about which ones are 'real' and which are just drawings. Today, during Barney (yes, he is still on), our conversation went like this:

Trenton: Mom, I wanna go meet Barney. What planet does he live on?

Me (hesitantly) : Honey, remember how we talked about that there are people who dress up in costumes? And they walk around? That's what Barney is.

Trenton: But Mom, I don't wanna dress up in a costume. I just wanna meet Barney!

Apparently, it is hard to wrap your mind around this one ;)

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Dusk

This is what it looks like at dusk on Belmar beach in July.

This is what an attempt at getting my two boys photographed, in the best light possible, looks like.

Sandy. SAN-DEE.

And then, purple. This is because I switched to the 'dusk' mode on my camera. Won't be doing that again, as I've totally lost the warm light... and gotten something lavender instead.
(Dontcha know white is so in now?)

Trenton cooperated very well. Ollie was distracted by the people/flying-birds/shouting/sand-on-his-feet (take your pick).
























































Last few shots should have captions that read as follows:


"Fine. Play in the sand. Just don't eat it."
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"You want to eat it? Then you sit in this stroller."
****
"And how the heck do you always find a dirty straw to play with in the sand???"

Giving Jersey a Bad Name

Had to share this article with you all. This is one of the reasons why everyone thinks New Jersey politicians are sleazy and unethical-- because lots of them are. Amazing what power and money can do to you, right? Let's just hope that the Feds have done their jobs right and that these sleezeballs don't get off on a technicality. A good discussion and analysis here.

This one is a bit longer (6 pages!) We all know that Jersey has some of the best defensive drivers-- because they have to be-- but please, don't add on to the stupidity out there. I can't tell you how many times I've been driving up the Parkway, some car in front of me swerving at the wheel, and I look down and see them texting. TEXTING! I do believe that I drive just as safely while talking on the phone (with my earpiece in) but I can't imagine taking hands off the wheel to type letters into my phone. What can't wait? I actually give these people a "thumbs down" when I pass them. Don't they get it that I have two kids in the car? And they're TEXTING?

In case you missed it, Michael Pollan was on the Colbert Report, speaking about what we put into our bodies. The discussion even included breastfeeding and how this natural way of nourishing our babies should be given consideration and respect. Interestingly enough, Pollan himself discovers that he was not breastfed. Seems that he turned out pretty well...

Leaving tomorrow for a mini-vacation to Knoebles Amusement Park with my parents and the boys. We used to go there often when I was a kid. It is the kind of park where you don't pay admission and all the rides are three tickets (75 cents) each. Looking forward to it & I'll blog on Monday ;)