Introducing...

Our apartment is pretty crowded these days. There's Chris, and me. The girls - including the newest one. Our aging cats, Brontë and Cooper. We have hundreds of fish, a tank of crickets, and a hamster. So when Bela started bugging us about adding another pet to the mix, adding more responsibilities to our daily "to do" checklist, Chris and I instantly agreed. Yes! Of Course!

Now, Bela knows better than to ask for a dog, because we have promised them we will get one as soon as we buy a house. So she thought maybe a lizard. Maybe a snake? Yes! A snake! I thought it was a great idea.

"You know, Bela, little snakes and lizards like to eat crickets. You know, Bela, those crickets you caught last summer have made lots and lots of babies. We could really save on food if..."  her horrified expression stopped me there.

But no, no... she started thinking. No, definitely not a snake. Something.... cuddly.

And so, introducing...........

Mama Mia

Pumpkin - and yes. I actually sewed these little beds. Cavy cozy, if you will.

Mama Mia and Pumpkin!

Now, do not fret. Bela spent an entire week researching the ins and outs of all things Cavy (rodent family native to South America, including guinea pigs): What they eat, how to train them, how to make them like you, how to give them a bath, what kind of cage they need, what kind of toys they like, how long they live, what all of their little noises mean.  She watched countless how-tos on Videojug. When we picked up the cage and materials earlier in the week, she ran into the store and filled the cart with hay, treats, food. She was so well-prepared, she really made this mama proud.

We got these two piggies from The Critter Corral - a guinea pig rescue based out of Steger, Il. The woman in charge, Rose, has a network of foster care "parents" for her rescued guineas. I threw the three girls in the car and drove to Griffith, Indiana on Saturday to pick up this lovely duo. They are adults, rather timid, and were given up because the owner's children had allergies.

Before we left the foster care home, I asked the incredibly nice woman where most of the piggies came from and what the largest number rescued from one home was.  She said they came from all over and from all types of situations. The largest number rescued from one house was 33.

"Obviously they were breeding them, right? Why?" I asked.

"Oh you would never believe it. They were breeding them as food for their pet snakes. Apparently guinea pigs are more satisfying than rats. How awful. Who would do that?"

Right. Disgusting. Who would ever think about breeding one pet to feed to another? Shameful. Just shameful.

Mid-winter break

February is usually a sad, sad time around these parts. In a normal year, it represents the third or fourth month of dreary Chicago weather with no relief on the horizon. March might be the official start of Spring, but we all know that it can be the cruelest month of the year, taunting us with broken promises and the merest hints of Spring.

But this year we have a few things going for us: first of all, we only just got our second snowfall of the season that stuck around, and as I write this a few short days later, it is all but gone. The only remnants of our most recent snowfall are the snow-frosted dog turds littering the parkway directly in front of my parked car.

Second of all, most of the major museums have several *free days* for Chicago residents. This was perfectly timed, as both girls are enjoying a week off of school for their mid-winter break. Although in true Katie fashion I either mis-read or mis-calculated and ended up paying for almost every visit this week, the girls and I enjoyed many days full of adventure.

On Monday, February 20th, we made it to the Field museum, whose *free day* was in fact January 20th. But after a few moments of forehead slapping and apologizing, Chris and I forked out the $40 for the 4 of us to explore ancient Egypt. The girls have been spending a lot of time listening to the audio version of several Magic Tree House books, and Mae really wanted to see "all the dead people"  (mummies). As we climbed up the pyramid and then descended back down into the tombs, Mae complained about the abundance of "boring stuff" (pottery and interesting ancient artifacts) and wanted to see the "boxes with dead people" (sarcophagi).

A few mummies later, Mae started complaining. "I'm sick of seeing all these dead people. There are too many dead people. I'm tired of walking. This is boring. I want to eat. I want to go home."  

Wednesday was the highlight of the week. We spent almost 5 hours at the Museum of Science and Industry. We started on the third floor balcony and worked our way down to ground level. Twice. The girls ran in giant hamster wheels, competed against each other with brain power to move a small ball across a board. They studied the fetuses in jars and watched the conception to childbirth movie three times. They simulated tornadoes, avalanches, and tsunamis, and they spent two hours in the Idea lab on floor 1.

Friday we visited the Nature Museum, whose free day is every Thursday. We've been there several times before, but Bela had a nice time in the water exhibit playing with locks, dams, and levies. Mae liked the insect, amphibian, and reptile room. And they both spent a great deal of time trying to get a butterfly to land on them in Butterfly Haven.

The two days we didn't go to museums we spent at home playing, cleaning and working our way through the multitude of craft kits Bela recently got for her birthday. We braided 1 1/2 friendship bracelets, built and painted (but did not hang) a birdhouse, beaded 1 earring, and built 1/2 of a lego house.  We also prepared for the arrival of the newest members of our household - more news to come.

Spring break will roll through here in about 6 weeks. I'm actually looking forward to it. Maybe we can visit some art museums and the planetarium. Maybe we will get around to making a complete pair of beaded earrings.

This Moment

A moment from our week. Love these gals I'm surrounded by. Happy weekending, all.

This Moment

Ugh. Forgot again. Enjoy this photo from more than 5 years ago, when my big girl was little. 

The aftermath

I'm a bad blogger. Bad, bad, bad. It's not that my kids aren't cute, they are. It's not that we aren't doing anything. We have been. It's not even that I don't have any time. I have.

It's because I'm self-absorbed. And I had surgery. So I've been putting around all week thinking about myself and my surgery. Oh, and getting ready - importantly- for Bela's Big Birthday Bash. Ok. Not completely self-absorbed.

Bela turned 7 a month ago and we finally had the party. The one where we forgot that we live on one level, on the second floor (above two stylish, childless, thirty-somethings), in 1200 square feet (if you count the pantry and the back porch.) The party where we assume 12-14 7 year old girls will get along, will be fabulously entertained by Chris and me, and will go to bed at a decent hour.  We assumed wrong.

The funny part? They still had a good time. At least I think they did. There was a lot of giggling, screaming, gossiping, crafting, popcorn eating, and squealing.

Because I can't rehash the entire party here on the blog for future Bela, I have this photo which offers but a glimpse of what the rest of our apartment looked like when the last child left today. Enjoy. I know I am.

The 1 square foot between couch and magazine basket. Multiply this by the 1200 sq ft that is our apartment.

This Moment

A special moment from our week. Let's call it a very special carpe kairos moment. No words necessary. Have a wonderful weekend, all!

The Slumber Party

My first born recently celebrated her 7th birthday. Unbelievably crazy. She has changed so much lately, she seems so grown up to me. A lot of our clashes seem to originate from me treating her like she's 4 and her acting like she's 12. We really need to find a way to meet somewhere in between.

We are very different, Bela and I. She is so social. She desires - needs, even - a lot of people around her. She wants play dates, parties, sleep overs. I, on the other hand, tend to spend a lot of quiet time alone. I feel a little out of sorts in large groups of people, so my tendency is to avoid arranging the kind of social engagements that Bela so longs for.

It dawns on me that a lot of parent/child conflict most likely results more from these types of personality differences than from anything else. It's not what she does that bothers me, it's my inability to understand her motivation that drives me crazy. Every night when she goes to sleep I see her there in her bed, sweet as an angel and I'm so moved. And every morning when we wake up I promise myself I'll be more patient and more understanding than the day before. I promise there will be no fights, no yelling. But things don't always work out that way. 

And yet, I'm trying. I'm trying to take a deep breath when I get frustrated with Bela's absent-mindedness, her disorganization, her constant chattiness.  I remind myself that she is her own person, and she is 7. I've been doing a better job of this lately. Um, well, I think I have. Except for this morning; let's not talk about this morning.

I've also tried of late to be more social, for her sake. So we are having a slumber party to celebrate (belatedly) her 7th birthday. We have invited every girl from her class. They will all be at my house, all night. To combat that tightening I feel in my chest, I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest, saving ideas I find on-line to make this party a very special one she will remember.

I plan on spending all next week preparing for her big night. I should have plenty of time seeing that I have to go in for surgery tomorrow and will be mostly house-bound for a few weeks. Nothing serious here, just a hernia my doctors are certain I acquired during Gil's delivery. The timing might be perfect, though. I have to put all my overly ambitious plans on hold and just hang at home. Plenty of time to make paper chains, paper stars, blow balloons, and bake treats.

Plenty of time to take a deep breath and try all over again, every day. That is, after all, what parenting is all about, right?

This Moment

A moment from our month, one special moment that needs no words. Have a great weekend, everyone!

The real Google searches

Bela in Sanibel

Yesterday I posted about Bela's recent discovery of Google, and I summarized for you all the searches she had initiated - all having to do with baby birds.

Well, lucky for us (and you?), Chris saved those searches and emailed them to himself. So here they are, original spelling and all. The searches we helped her with are obvious - she asked us how to spell the words. Her independent searches, however, are pure gold. You might have to work a bit at understanding them, but I won't translate. It ruins the magic.

what do baby robin birds eat?

do birds fit in 3 inch nest?

do momo birds fit in 3 inches nests?

do momo robin birds fit in 3 inches nests?

haw do you make a bird like you?

how do I know what my bird is saying?

how do you play with a bird?

how would a squirrel like you?

how do you keep your bird away from the light?

would your bird like to play with you?

wher woul you find worms?

would a bird watch tv with you?

would your bird like to play with you?

would a bird work with you?

can I teach a bird how to pick up a needle?

do squirrels chase birds?

do birds tak bird baths?

would a bird nos what you are talking about?

would your bird like to play with you?

hau wouled you gete a babe squirrel?

haw msh wouled a bird love you?

haw old is a bird wen its born like 0?

how can I talk to florida birds?

how much toys is in the caga bird cage?

is ther any pekshrs for wot stof we ned for the kag?

haw do you hran a bird?

woule a bird like to plla with you in a sortin wae?

Magic Tree House

Seeing that the theme this week around here is media, I want to re-visit the audiobook.

Last year I wrote about the girls' obsession with audiobooks, and probably mentioned how they work as efficiently as the babysitter we call TV but without so much of the guilt associated with screen time. They have to listen carefully for extended periods of time, and the pictures they see are only the ones they create themselves, in their heads. I was sold.

Our library started out with Shel Silverstein reading his poems and a series of Frog and Toad books. We moved on to fairy tales and greek mythology, added the Hobbit and Moby Dick (the kid's version, of course), and then, sometime last year... we got our first Beverly Cleary book - Beezus and Ramona. And we got stuck there.

They have listened to hundreds of hours of Stockard Channing read the Ramona books: Beezus and Ramona, Ramona the pest, Ramona the brave, Ramona and her father, Ramona and her mother, Ramona Quimby age 8. I couldn't take it anymore. What had once been a pleasant escape for all of us had turned into sheer torture for me.  And whiny little Beezus was actually wearing off on Bela, to my complete chagrin. I staged a hostile take-over of the audio library and then made another bold move: I used the credit Chris was saving in his audible account to purchase the pricey collection of The Magic Treehouse, books 1-8.

And they LOVE it. LOVE IT! Dinosaurs and mummies and sarcophagi and pirates and ghosts, oh my! They were so involved in this story that we listened to it during dinner last night. They traveled down the Amazon in their minds at bathtime, and they dueled it out with ninjas in their beds, in their darkened room. When I finally took the computer from their bedroom they realized that a story filled with tombs and robbers, mummies and pirates, ninjas and knights,  might make it difficult to fall asleep peacefully, and surely enough they both ended up in our bed last night.

But no hard feelings, because this morning I awoke to find Bela on the couch, under a blanket, listening to the story with the volume turned low. When the battery finally died on the computer half-way through breakfast, the girls turned to me and asked: Can we watch this again when we get home?

I love it. They want to watch it, so vivid are the pictures in their heads.

Thank you Magic Treehouse. Thank you thank you thank you. And thank you Leslie for suggesting it. I couldn't take one more chapter of the Quimby's on Klickitat Street.

The web

In an ideal world (my ideal world) my children would not watch television or play video games on ipads or ipods or smart phones. We would not even own a television or need a computer; there would be no angry birds. We would sit quaintly by our wood burning stove, I would get impressive amounts of knitting done and they would charm me with their intellect, with their vocabulary, and with their tireless pursuit of all things literary.

I don't live in that world. I'm not sure I would really even like it all that much if I did. I'd probably get bored of knitting and wish I could get online and order a new sweater from Anthropologie or some such place and just be done with it. I would tire of my children's company and wish they'd leave me alone for a bit and go watch a show.

So we spend our time trying to find a good in between - a space we don't mind occupying. To this end my girls watch a few movies on Saturdays, they have an impressive library of "educational" games on Chris' ipad (including that really special one where they get to manage the wardrobe of a digital tween and do her makeup too), and they shoot virtual slingshots at pigs and things a few times a week.

But the full potential of the internet had yet to reveal its magic and its power to Bela - who by my calculations is about 5 years behind your average kid in all things computer.

This very curious 7 year old girl has made two very recent discoveries:

1) Google
2) Email

Recently, worn down by Bela's constant barrage of questions (and equally disgusted by my usual response to the attack: I don't know, Bela; Stop asking me questions, Bela; Go watch tv, Bela) I asked myself "what would a nice teacher-type, patient, loving mother do/say in this situation?" In my mind the response would go something like this: "I don't know my little buttercup, but let's go look up the answer together in a book."

Do they make books like that anymore?  I substituted "the computer". We googled it.

Here is a list of Bela's recent searches (as told to me by my computer's history function)

     How do I know what a bird is saying to me?
     How can I make a baby bird play with me in a certain way?
     What do baby birds like to do?
     How can I talk to a baby bird?

bird in a nest - a theme around here lately

Last week I emailed a mom from Bela's school to RSVP to a birthday party, which later had to be canceled because the poor girl was sick. Bela sat with me while I typed the message, and was just amazed that I could hit the send button and she would get it on the other end.

For the last two days, the moment she walks in the door she is at my computer opening up Entourage and starting a new message (which of course she already knows how to do without being shown). She wrote the following two messages to friends this week, and asked me to send them to the moms, since these 7 year old girls don't have their own accounts. Yet.

EMAIL #1

An email for Lucianna from Bela :) From bela

Lucianna,
 I am sorry you are  sick. That I decided you kan do everything   first at mi brthday party.  I was going to share a poem with you and here’s how it goes

 this  is my  trunk  I’m a tall tall tree in the spring time  the blossoms bloom on me they open. They open.
This is my trunk I’m a tall tall tree in the summer the winds they blow through me, I sway. I sway.

This is my trunk I’m a tall tall tree in the autumn the apples grow on me they drop, they drop.
This is my trunk I’m a tall tall tree in the winter the snowflakes fall on me. They fall, they fall.
Love bela I hope you come back tomorrow

And I was going to make clay model for you

EMAIL #2

From Bela to Nora

I’m sorry I messed it up it was 18 more days until my birthday party and there will be a tiny  hamster and that’s all I want to  tell you about and here is a song this is my trunk I am a tall, tall tree in the spring time  the blossoms bloom on me they open they open this is my trunk I’m a tall tall tree in the summer the breezes blow through me  I bend, I bend. This is my trunk I’m a tall, tall tree; In the autumn the apples fall from me they drop! They drop! This is my trunk I’m a tall, tall tree In the winter the snowflakes fall on me They fall, they fall bye love you nora from bela

Disclaimer: Bela asked me how to spell big words like "everything" and "messed" and "hamster". She copied the lyrics to the song/poem from a book she has. it took her forever. I love that girl.

So for now, we'll let her continue her exploration of the internet, one little baby step at a time. We'll let her pick out her movies on Saturday, and we'll sit down together on Sunday evenings at 6pm and watch America's Funniest Videos (if you haven't seen this classic lately, sit down and watch it with your kids. It brings a whole new level a hilarity to the show). And maybe one day we'll have a wood burning stove and a deck of cards and Bela will turn off the computer and ask me if I want to play Kings in the Corner with her.