VERMONT MOMS...

ok, I called the center for cosmetic dermatology... just to find out, you know for a friend of mine who might be interested in the "tumescent liposuction" procedure....you know, she's just wondering.

SO, incase you were wondering (or, um, one of your friends):

• $175 to have the doctor  inspect your fat for one hour
• $3000 and up to suck the fat out (more $ depending on how much and how many spots)
• no payment plan
• all due up front
• NO other doctor in the entire city to go to otherwise

and so, life continues on in the muffin top kind of way. :(

disclaimer, I forgot to mention: I went bathing suit shopping today...barf

THREE EASY RECIPES for people with kids-

and moms & dads who suck at cooking…. 

Carnivores:

Tasty Mexican Style Shredded Pork:

1 Pork shoulder - note you won't actually have one in your freezer but next time you are shopping, easy to spot, relatively cheap and easy to toss in

2 BIG cans enchilada sauce

Crockpot, 4 hours high

Shred pork, serve over rice & beans; add guacamole, salsa, whatever you have in cabinet / fridge but tasty plain

Lemon Garlic Chicken:

you need:

6 thighs, in dish (you could use breast but thighs have the best flavor for this--but either works)

6 lemons - or lemon juice

2 Onions - or onion flakes

10 cloves of garlic

Directions:

• Toss thighs in casserole dish (literally throw them...kidding)
• Quarter 2 onions, place over chicken (yellow is best but any onion works…even onion flakes)
• Squeeze fresh lemon juice over chicken (use bottled lemon juice if you have to)
• Garlic press a bunch of garlic cloves (10)
• Add salt, pepper
• Top with fresh rosemary if you have it, dried if you have that- not necessary but yummy & it makes your house smell like you can actually cook - great recipe to deceive friends or use up herbs in garden you don't know what to do with :)
• Bake 90min@300 degrees
• Serve w/broccoli (I totally use frozen) & bread…rice, whatever

Herbivores:

Garlic Bread Pasta (for about 4 people)

EASY- the only way you could screw it up is to burn the garlic but it's so simple if you have to start over, it doesn't matter.

you need: garlic, breadcrumbs, pasta, olive oil (1/3c or so...)

Make angel hair or spaghetti according to package, set aside

Heat olive oil in a pan

Cut or press garlic (I do like 4 bulbs- I like it really garlicky & my kids do too)

Cook garlic in oil, until it turns slightly golden (don’t let it burn)

Pour oil over pasta, pour breadcrumbs & toss….

YUM & no red sauce mess- a great lunch pasta when sick of mac & cheese, etc…

My toughest, brutish little boy, noah, is afraid of bugs.

He is one of those indestructable boys- the youngest of three. He has no choice but to be tough. Anyway, yesterday, I hear this SHRIEKING from the side yard (right outside the screen slider, I can keep full tabs on the boys if they go out there). I ignore it for a second b/c all the boys are right there, & I figured someone took a toy or whatever. 

But he kept shrieking. I ran to see what was up- Noah (20m) is shaking, literally yelling BUG BUG BUG BUG - I thought he got stung. I searched him over, took off his shorts. He wouldn't move (I was starting to have all the nighmarish thoughts- black widow, bee allergy...what's up???). He was frozen with fear. I picked him up and he clung to me like a monkey- he wouldn't let me put him down. He was saying "no, bug, no!" over & over. I felt so bad for him.

Anyway, eventually I put him in the bath to calm him down. He reluctantly went in and a mosquito was flying around, up near the ceiling. He immediately FREAKS yelling BUG BUG BUG and all slippery-style jumps from the tub and panics....-He made me hold him for literally 40 minutes. It was wierd....I think he must have gotten stung. Bottom line, he is bugged-out by bugs and anything (like dirt) that resembles a bug...

you don't even have to respond but ask yourself when (if at all)  the last time you....

• read a book and finished it
• went on a walk by yourself
• played a board game or other game with your spouse/other/friend?
• had a quickie, nooner, or other sneaky rendez-vous
• slept in (I mean really slept in...not ignoring screeches from the crib or half awake sleeping in)
• chatted on the phone with an old friend for an hour
• wrote a real letter, put a stamp on it & mailed it
• went to church or meaningful spiritual place
• read the giving tree by shel silverstein
• wrote in a journal...a paper journal without spellcheck or delete
• looked at old photos of you when you were a sweet baby
• looked at old photos of you when you were a ridiculous teenager
• received a look-over...the kind where you feel attractive and alive, not frumpy or thinking your fly is down or you have barf on the backside of your shoulder
• actually noticed an attractive person...one you would have flirted with - you know- the kind of person that was (or is) "your type"
• went to a concert...not elmo or dragon tales...a concert just for you
• looked at your kids and felt like you were doing everything right, on track and things were gonna be ok
• looked at your kids and thought you couldn't be a worse parent, your heart ached and you felt like everything you are doing isn't good enough
• wished you had more things and money and opportunity to make your life easier
• wished you could abandon everything and run away (with your family) with no material objects, responsibilities or clutter (just sunsets on a remote beach somewhere)
• wished to take that trip you never got to take before the kids
• wished you never had to leave the couch with your kids snuggled up next to you
• wrote a love note
• made a treat- coffee, cookies, crafts- for someone, anyone
• bought a piece of jewelry you really love
• bought something you totally don't need and will probably never wear
• looked up an old flame
• looked at your spouse and wondered how the hell you made it this far
• wanted a new life
• wanted your life to last forever
• envied a friend
• wished your kids would stay little forever
• couldn't wait for them to "grow out of this stage"
• wanted another baby
• wished to never ever get pregnant again
• cried because life is moving on
• smiled because life is moving on- to the next milestone, celebration, event
• wished you wrote stuff down that your kids say
• actually wrote something down that your kid said
• made a list and never finished it (or lost it in my case...)
• missed an appointment
• stopped and enjoyed the moment and realized how lucky you are.....

Being a parent is full of conflicting emotions and experiences.

everyone I know keeps chatting about their house keepers* in front of me....it's driving me f-ing mad. if I hear one more single person complain that they just don't like to keep up with it and it would waste an enitre afternoon....that it's "just so much easier" to not deal with it....that it's just so nice to come home and have it be perfect...no offense if you have a housekeeper but I'm just annoyed because I feel like a housekeeper - a bad one at that- and I get kind of jealous & pissy when I hear this... it's cool if you have one, just don't complain to me about how invconvenient it is to clean up (after nobody!)...or like my neighbor who has kids, a cleaner & then complains about how bad she is and that she has to leave her house one morning a week...ok, all done.

*by housekeeper I mean cleaning lady or dude...

Montessori Works! (At Home): SIGHT

easy activities....

Play with optics…bending, changing or reflecting light

1. Prism- an old fashioned entertainment (& educational) piece

Keep a prism on a low shelf, in a box.

Show your child how to handle it carefully (3 & up)

Show your child how to take it to a sunny area.

Check out all the rainbows, explain the light is going into the prism, and breaking the light into lots of colors called a rainbow.

Keep the prism available or hang it in the window.

2. Mirror-

Reflect light off a mirror onto the wall.

Talk about how light bounces off a mirror and lands along the wall. Move the light all around.

3. Magnifying glass-

Collect 10 little items in a box.

Bring out magnifier.

Explain that a magnifying glass bends light & makes things look bigger.

ok, so anyone following the hubby-travel-with-kids-story...I know it's late but I just got the call...this is worth reading!

me-"hey, are you in san fran?"

hubby- "yeah, did you get all my texts?"

me- "no" (I was listening to Led Zeppelin while cleaning, don't ask, I always do...)

"oh yeah, N(20mos) threw up for over an hour"

me- "what??????"

him- "yes. I tried to get him to barf in the bag but he got mad...then he barfed everywhere...I tried to get  that all cleaned up...it was on the seat. I tried to get him to the back bathroom (we were on a huge plane center row, right in the middle)but he barfed all over me. I had the flight attendants helping and then a pediatric assitant was on board to help. TR won't stop going to the bathroom (I'm in there right now) and needless to say Noah is not wearing a shirt"

me- "NO WAY, That sucks. I am sorry...NO WAY. NO....OOOH....hey, can you stop and get a souvenir shirt, N can't arrive to see your mother without a shirt! She'll think I am an idiot for not packing an extra outfit."

him- "it doesn't matter"

m- "yes it does....how are you holding out?"

h- "Surprisingly fine. "

me- "did  N (20mos) eat something that made him sick?"

h-" I think it was all the candy, skittles, snacks, and then we went to chilis - mac n' cheese- that looked great...!"

m- "whoa"

h- "I have to go, I'm in the bathroom with trevor (3). I'll call you later. bye...

bye...

AND THE WORST PART: their luggage landed in San Jose! no clean clothes from san fran to san jose...and so, the lesson: NEVER FORGET TO PACK AN EXTRA OUTFIT...or feed your kid too much while traveling

ok, about the pre- happy hour wine thing...I can say that becuse my in-laws own a winery & vineyard so I am naturally categorizing by the splash on my palate...look how pretty that rose is....makes your mouth water, doesn't it??? :)

http://www.flemingjenkins.com/

I am wicked domestic and that milkman, he's pretty cool...(that's a wig & notice my housewife pearls)

Ok, so single-handedly the saddest thing about leaving Colorado to come to VT was the fact there is no Montessori community in the area. It leaves me emptier than leaving the city, the weather, the burritos (lol), the people- even my own friends...most of them, anyway.

To VT's defense, I understand there are a handful of schools- one in brattleboro & one in Jericho (which is beautiful...but too far!) and a couple in between. Still, that's not doing my sons any good!  Likewise, it is not doing the entire Burlington VT area any good. I know there was a woman in SB who closed shop the week we moved here :(....  but that's a different story....anyway...

(BACKGROUND: If you are unfamiliar with Montessori, it's a style of teaching that promotes independence, peace, solid basic skills, practical life skills, and a thousand other things. The curriculum was developed by an amazing scholar, anthropologist, and doctor, Dr. Maria Montessori during the first decade of the 20th C.  To sum it up, it is a designed environment that teaches  rather than a teacher doing all the teaching. The materials are presented on shelves, there is always something to "work" on, and the children work peacefully and contently, particularly for the first three hours of the morning. They use wooden, natural, sensory-pleasing materials and the curriculum covers phonics to math units through geography....all presented in a HANDS on, child pleasing way. Her methods have taken both a lot of criticism and acclaim. Her methods are now being found to coordinate with contemporary research based learning. They refer to everything they do as "work" and they are taught to take great care with their "work" (which is why I say Montessorri "Works!" as a silly pun har har... )anyway, I am biased but I loved it for my oldest son. He attended Montessori from 2.5 yrs all the way through first grade (in a free charter school).

In Colorado (and other states...CA- you'll know what I am talking about) there were Montessori schools everywhere. It may have been because there are two training centers in CO, still, they were all over- everywhere from plazas to parkways, public magnets to charter schools.  Infant rooms through middle school- I just miss the entire lifestyle.  Here in VT, I think the Waldorf community is similar to what I miss in my Montessori community. People love their Waldorf here, which is fine, I just don't know why, if Waldorf can thrive SO well, why Montessori isn't here...

I miss the eclectic Montessori moms & dads who chose to drive their kids everyday to the school they loved. I miss the poised teachers who taught them SO MUCH, I miss the materials, I miss the peacefulness of going into my son's school. I miss the dove cooing in the corner of the old farmshouse planted in the middle of the city...But most of all, I miss seeing my son happy at school. He LOVED working at Montessori school. We moved a year ago- he cried until December and asked to go back to his old school to "work" in his old classroom.  The first day he left the Montessori classroom for public school, my heart broke when he walked in looked literally stressed, turned to me and said, "mom, there is no work here, what I am I going to do?" I just knew right then that he'd struggle.  And he did. And he cried and he ripped up papers and he felt stupid because he had never worked on paper, only in units and with representations of concepts and all that...we both miss his old school....I can't believe I still feel this sad, even with 11 months gone by.

Montessori Works! (At Home):

Today’s Topic: SOUND!

Ticking Table…redeeming myself here

Need: wooden table, ticking watch (or some other soft sound making device)

Explain how sound goes through the air.

Let child listen to the ticker, move further away until ticking isn’t heard anymore

Explain how sound travels through other materials

Place watch on the table, let child listen

Talking Tube

Need: long 10-15’ tube f/ hardware or recycle store

Speak quietly and explain that sound can travel through a small space

Play around, go around corners, speak softly, loudly, or with a friend

Tin-Can Telephone

Need: 2 empty soup cans, 10-15’ kite string

Cover edges; poke a tiny hole in the bottom of

Tie knots to keep the string in nice & tight

Cover ears completely when listening

Cover mouth completely when speaking

loosely adapted from Basic Montessori:Learning Activities for Under Fives by David Gettman

Mom, Just Poop in your Pants

My 3yr old son is repeating (and singing no less) over & over- mom, just poop in your pants. I need more coffee.

Tessa...that's my vote.  Any gamblers out there?

ok, hello, did she really hang herself at the end???? I did not see that coming! next season is going to be crazy. Lynette w/cancer, Bri hiding her daughter's baby & then playing it off as hers! what!?, susan & mike (finally), and the love birds...carlos & gabbie back together. hmmm, I don't think Edie is dead...is it possible?

games- even incomplete sets can be fun, so get creative. look for games that have cool pieces for sorting, counting, playing, taping, collaging- whatever...

example:Trevor loves Jumanji so I let him decorate a game box and go all over the house setting it up and while listening to Jumanji on tape. That 50cent game bought us 2 morning's worth of entertainment.

matching- You can use almost anything to make matching games. You can find bingo games, boardgames, cards, image cards, books, items, etc.

Examples: Match silverware pieces, lids, cups, trinkets, toys, etc. Always lay out one set first and just ask your child to make matches.  In the photo, Trevor is using an old kid's bingo game as a shape match game. I gave him the basket of shapes, he worked hard to fill up the whole square sheet. At first, he would only do about half but eventually, he finished it. It's great with a friend.

Also, buy books with cool images, photocopy  them and tape one set to a plastic , metal or  wooden tray.  Give your child the  opportunity to make matches with the images. Or lay one set out along the floor and make matches that way. Laminating or using clear packing tape will help keep grubby finger marks or tears at bay.

puzzles- look around, there have been many quality puzzles shoved back there. example:I have 3 Melissa & Doug puzzles f/there.

wooden toys- there are often lots of old fashioned, classic wooden toys that can be used creatively. I forget but I remember finding something...:)

sorting- you can find serving strays that have different sections. You can also use ice trays, candy trays, funky serving bowls, tins, canisters,etc. Find random items to sort into the different tray sections.

example: I used a chip/dip tray to sort colored game chips. I put all the colors in the middle and then we sorted all the reds to one section, blues to another, etc. You can find a TON of sorting activities from the thrift store.

Dishes- You can find funky cups, mini pitchers, sorting trays, serving trays to put activities on, etc. You can find odd shaped dishes to make clay molds or imprints, long dishes for colored pencil/crayon holders, etc. Kids can also polish silver trays...

example: 1-3 year olds love pouring. For my kids, I have found little cups and mini pitchers for pouring water, milk, even maple syrup on weekend mornings.

Books- There are SO many kids books. Also, buy cool old information books, magazines, encyclopedias for cutting & collaging.

Storage-  the best thing is you can find cheap bins, baskets, trays, canisters, buckets, etc.

example: I use clear old ice buckets to put blocks in and display them on the shelf. I also use cheap old baskets for different "works" or activities that I rotate often.

Adventure- a trip to recycle north is an adventure (of one kind or another) for parents and kids. I'd just make sure it's not near lunch hour or nap hour- they get so squirrely, you know?!

Have a good day!

Here's why honesty can work out...people sometimes can't see what you see so if you really think you can help with a friend's parenting issue (tackle by issue NOT by style, is what I found works)...here's my recent experience:

I have been having trouble with my 8 year old- we had a crazy year and he's emotionally reflecting the chaos.   We moved from Colorado and life is very different. He was in a montessori preschool and eventually montessori public charter school.  He performed awesome at school and he loved the structure that it provided. Well, coming here to public school (because there is NO montessori community :(- )  he fell apart. He went from multi-aged mega-hands-on-high level to single age traditional (he's moved classrooms though, which has helped).  His life funtioned well and he was responsible and very independent. I let him be that way- it worked. But not here, and he has been a mess...

Anyway, my neighbor has a solid, strong, no-BS but loving parenting style. With all these behavior issues popping up (with my son) I asked her for advice... She told me that with all his emotional meltdown, I wasn't drawing a clear enough boundary in certain areas that made him feel safe. I thought I was,  but she pointed out how she handles this stuff and I actually listened (where I might usually get defensive). I knew I needed an objective perspective. She gave me some criticism but in a helpful way.  I appreciated it- even though I felt a little stupid. I took it though, knowing she's not perfect either but in this area, she had it dialed...

Her honesty has helped me shift some of my behaviors- and I'd say I am pretty well in-tune with that stuff. I have a master's in ed. psychology (student learning & behavior) and I STILL needed honest outside perspective to see a more cut and dry way to handle my son! Thankfully, her advise has truly helped and I am seeing change and we all feel a bit better.

Bottom line: if you see an issue and a friend in need, don't hold back, if you really think you can help!

Vermont? Pools? Why?

I have a funky split level ranch that looks like a burnt-up-barn...it's nice on the inside, it's on a double lot, it backs to woods...blahblah, all in all it's a nice family style house in a good hood...I'm NOT complaining BUTthere it is...my16x32 ft nightmare.  We had to immediately put a katch-a-kid on it...it has a scary (but fun) old school slide (can we say liability?) and I don't know what to do. It takes up a lot of yard and it TOTALLY nerves me out. I am so distracted with three kids (and mind you, there are 20, I counted) boys under the age of 8 within 4 blocks of my house! I know they'll be in & out of the yard...on & on. So, of course everyone says "keep it" because they want to come play (what's better than a pool? a neighbor with a pool). I'm just SO not into it that I want to take it out.

Ok, so enough, you get the point...Has anyone ever known anyone to put a deck over an inground pool?

I want to do it right now because the liner ripped and we either have to drop cash on a liner, then all the chemicals to get it going, then hardly use it & be stressed about it...or we take it out and that's a huge project. My idea is to deck over it. Anyone know anyone who builds decks or would want to give me an estimate? I'd love contacts....and I welcome ideas...thanks!