One of those days

See my little girl? Although I have to admit, she's not so little anymore. She's only about 1/2 inch from the top of my head (5'8") and still tries to sit in my lap even though my legs lose circulation in 5.3 seconds; she's like holding a giant, she's so tall.

She looks lovely in this photo from one of her Keynotes concerts. I think this is when she sang a solo from Queen, "We Will Rock U" and did a wonderful job of course.

She looks poised, regal almost. Like a dancer or young princess. Except that she's fooling you. I truly believe she will kill me before she's 18.

I volunteered to be a chaperon for a band concert/field trip to Puyallup (pronounced pew-all-up) last weekend. First they went to a middle school and to learn and play with several different band teachers. While she's playing at the middle school, I finally arrive to hear the last of the songs from the guest teacher.

She sees me and when they're excused, she comes running up to me to hug me (which is lovely still that she will hug her mum) .... and smacks her alto clarinet into my mouth, chipping off the front of my tooth.

Really. Luckily, it was a small chip, just enough to keep rubbing it with my tongue and thankfully not needing any Bondo to hide a gaping hole.

Now, off to Northwest Trek, which is a wildlife/nature preserve. The land (all 700+ acres) was donated by a pediatrician and his wife back in the 70's or 80's and they have several species of animal herds (bison, elk, mountain goat, etc.) free ranging as well as some predators in separate contained areas (bobcat, wolf, bear, etc.). There is a walking path as well as a tram that will take you around the whole area to see the animals. It's an amazing place and I hope to go back when it's a tad warmer (April in Northwest Washington - Brrrrrr!) and with less kids; two to be exact! They're easier to keep track of - two kids, two eyes and my kids listen to me whereas the others were sort of "Meh, we don't see you."

AND with better shoes.

So Felix, in her rush to get out of the house before leaving for the field trip bus, dons a pair of hemp-ish, beaded, slides that she recently bought at a thrift store and no jacket whatsoever. In my haste to get her to the school, get me back to feed and then drive two hours to Puyallup, didn't even think what she was wearing nor myself. I wear my usual comfy, motherly slip ons and a thin jacket.

that's her foot, my shoe by the way

Truth be told, neither of us knew WHAT Northwest Trek was or did or anything. Ignorance on our part left us unprepared.

So it's a little cloudy and some sprinkles on and off (typical) and cool. Felix is freezing and I (somewhat reluctantly) offer my jacket but thankfully another parent who drove happens to have a bright green hoodie in her car. Yeah! And we're off ....................

Wait. Felix's feet are freezing now. So I again offer something else from my body, my nice comfy shoes for trade so my little girl can enjoy her field trip (I've ALWAYS said children are like parasites, feeding off their parents from day one .... in a loving, nice way of course).

After all, I'm just a mother; what does a mother need with comfort or warmth? I'm sounding a little Jewish now. Oy vey.

So we trade. Not more than 15 steps walking to the front gate, Felix STEPS on the back of my/HER shoes and rips the side almost off. Only a small stitch is keeping the slide on my foot.

So now, not only is my foot freezing, but I'm also hobbling in a broken shoe.

Notice how happy her foot looks next to my sad one. Not to mention, my sad foot really needs a pedicure. Yikes. Maybe that's why it's sad ..... nah.

Sigh.

Finally, the last little stitch, struggling to hang on with all it's might, cannot do it anymore with the shuffling steps of an slightly pudgy, pigeon-toed woman and snaps off. Now, not only am I NOT in my own comfy shoes (did I mention my shoes are REALLY comfy??), but I'm walking with one summery slide and one barefoot. On asphalt. In April. In a rain forest. Humph. What to do?

Suddenly, Keith's voice comes to me in a revelation .... from Hill Field, Utah ... "All you ever need is Crazy Glue and Duct Tape."

O Wonderful Father of Mine! You're right!

I run to the main office ... okay maybe not running since I've got one shoe on and one shoe off, but I was pretending to run ... to ask for duct tape. They must have something like that, working with animals or equipment or men.

I burst through the door, run to the counter. A really young girl/child is holding down the fort. Has no idea what duct tape is but .... well .... this is what she had:

Cellophane packing tape. Young girls. Honestly. AND the girl/child wanted to only give one full wrap-around! What?? I've got to hoof it all over the place with this thing. I need at least two if not three good wraps.

It lasted through the trek, the walk back to the car, to the park to eat pizza and then it broke again. I promptly found a store and bought myself a new pair of shoes. Ah! Peace of mind finally.

And now Felix is wearing them to school today.

Uh ... I have to confess something

Sigh.

So much for me being the great "Chicken Whisperer." Yeah. That went out the window on Sunday when Felix was out feeding the animals.

"Mom?"

"Yes honey."

"Did you say you thought Puzzle died?"

"Yeah it was Puzzle, the White Rhodie. Why?"

"Well, no. It wasn't Puzzle. She's standing right here. It was Frenchy, the Leghorn."

"WHAT??!! Are you sure?"

As I walked up to the coop, sure enough, there was Puzzle, scratching and pecking like a good hen. I was missing a Leghorn. Good thing I didn't have to have a burial for her and create a headstone (I'm behind three already) with the wrong name. Crikey.

So much for me knowing all my hens. Ugh.

Electric v manual???

I'm talking about toothbrushes.
My kids recently had their bi yearly dentist exam. For them, the dentist is not a horrible trip since they've had no cavities, just cleanings (and I certainly hope to keep it that way!). I have never been afraid of going to the dentist and have tried to instill in them the same. Perhaps it's because I've had really good visits too; one or two cavities in my adult years and no real problems. AND a good dentist is essential. Dr. Paul .... I miss YOU!!

Anyway, I have found a really good children's dentist in Everett. She has been their dentist for past four years (it took me some time to find one I liked when we first moved) and they do like her. There are some things they do hate at the dentist: they both hate the taste of the prophylaxis treatments and Robee hates the dental x-rays because he says doing the bite wings hurts his mouth. So to accommodate him, they're using the smaller bite wings. See? Wonderful dentist!

I was wondering to their dentist the difference between electric toothbrushes and manual ones (since they always get that little goodie bag with a toothbrush and floss). Is one better than the other?

She said that when kids are little and their manual dexterity is limited, electric brushes are very good in that they (the brushes) get to places their own hands cannot. Especially the ones that are a rotation type of brush. Another great thing about an electric brush is that it helps kids stay on the task of brushing; they won't get bored or just stop after 30 seconds. Many electric toothbrushes have timers on them now, timing each brushing for two minutes (recommended time for complete cleaning).

Some kids' brushes have songs on them that play for two minutes, entertaining the kids at the same time!

Let me just say this - no possible way on heaven or earth would I EVER get one of these.

I would rather jab a hot poker in my eye.

Therein lies the problem with electric brushes: they have to be powered by battery or charged on a charger.

Chargers are nice except if you are traveling for an extended period of time with no way to plug in the charger (sometimes it's hard in other parts of the world to find the same types of outlets).

Then there is the battery option but what happens to the batteries after they're done? Into the waste and there goes more into our landfills. I do believe some places have a place for battery recycling.

If you're going batteries and trying to efficient, you could also use rechargeable batteries.

However, there is still need for the use of electricity and if you're trying to keep your carbon footprint tiny, then what???

What is an environmentalist to do? It's a tough world for us, to be sure.

So what have I decided?

First of all, I believe what my dentist says that little kids have a harder time reaching those far back places. I know Mom was kind of psycho about things BUT I totally believe that one of the reasons us kids had almost no cavities as children when the rest of my friends at school were having holes filled, is because she brushed our teeth for us until we were probably six or seven or at a time when we could actually get to those places where cavities are usually found. I've told other people this and they mock her but when I tell dental friends (usually at the DHP at Weber) this story, they all nod their heads and say more parents should do this as well until the child can effectively do it themselves. The most important thing my dental friends told me is to get the plaque off the teeth; one doesn't even need toothpaste. Just brush the crap off.

And so, ingoring a page from "I'm Going To Be Different From My Mom" book, I also brushed the kids' teeth until they were about six. I let them brush too, so they could learn how do it but then I would finish.

Second, I had a REAL problem with electric toothbrushes. I felt that they were a silly purchase.Thomas was all for buying one but I resisted since I had never had one growing up or as adult. After many MANY heated debates (really?? over a toothbrush??), he finally convinced me and now I really love mine. I was so convinced I bought Felix and Robee one as well. I had a bit of a struggle talking the kids into using an electric brush, but once they tried one, they loved it. Getting them to brush twice a day is the issue! Running off to the bus, so tired at night ... they sort of let it slack off.

Third, to make up for the charging of electric toothbrushes and my guilty conscience, I do this: if I'm not charging the brush, I unplug the charger. At least then, I'm not using ghost power when it's not needed (this also applies to ANY electric device that's not being used, i.e.: blow dryers, toasters, phone chargers - I would my microwave but the plug is so out of the way to reach each time).

So, electric or manual?? In a pinch, the manual is a forever thing (the first toothbrush recorded in history was made in 3000 BC, a twig with a frayed end called a chewstick), but for daily brushing, I've been baptised and converted to electric toothbrushes.

As always, IMHO.

Goodbye Puzzle

It’s always difficult when a family member dies.

No less difficult, when an animal member of the family dies.

I went out to feed my girls today and found Puzzle, the lone Rhode Island White in my clan, dead in the coop. I don’t know how long she had been dead, I don’t know why she died. They had water and no food, but not so low on food that she would have starved to death in one day.
I went over and over in my head, trying to think of what she could have gotten into that might have not agreed with her little chicken system. Trying to think of a treat that I might have given her that wasn’t meant for chickens.

Nothing.

I guess sometimes, animals die and I suppose I could take her to the vet and have an autopsy done on her. If I had more that died or if I find another one dead in the next few days, then I will. There may be something going through my flock and I need to know about it.

So …. goodbye Puzzle. We will miss you.

Change is good

So yeah, I changed my blog's name.

When I started this thing, it was sort of under the encouragement of the big kids; they were doing one and thought I might like to join.

They were right; it's been fun and it really HAS helped me remember what has happened in the past. I have such a horrible memory for some things (and not for others which can be frustrating) and this has been great to go back and read. What I'd really like to do is to take each year and make it into a photo/scrapbook of sorts. I don't scrapbook (if God had wanted me to scrapbook, he wouldn't have invented shoe boxes) so this is a great help for those of us who are craftily-challenged.

However, I've always hated my blog title. I wasn't really sure what to call it when I first created it; other's I've read have these clever little titles (some nice, some a little too cutesy for me) and mine just said "Kristi's Blog" ... all in caps no less. Ugh. Blech. Poo.

So I changed it. Not that it's a WHOLE lot more creative, but I feel better about it and that's what counts anyway. If I had wanted suggestions, I would have asked. Perhaps I should have a contest?? :-)

Maybe not.

Anyway, so here's to the first post of the new name.