Snowmaggedon, Snowpocalypse, Snowzilla....whatever you want to call it

Last Thursday and Friday we accumulated 14.2 inches of snow.  That is unheard of for us.  It just barely missed breaking the record set in 1962.  

School was cancelled for two days! 

We were so blessed to have such good neighbors who all came out and helped each other shovel the snow.  We are fortunate to have one very kind neighbor with a snow blower he is willing to share!

It has been called several things so far, as you can see in my title to this post, but the crazy thing is, it isn't over.  They are predicting another 9-15 inches in the next couple of days.  School has already been cancelled again for tomorrow and the possibility is there for Tuesday as well.  

I can't say that we have accomplished huge things with our days off, but we sure have enjoyed being lazy and having everyone at home.  

And, oh yes, playing in the snow.  Although Jarrett is less fond of it now that it is so deep.  He usually just throws his hands up in the air and cries "Stuck! Stuck! Hold me!"  Poor kid, when the snow is at least at third of your height, I guess that is nerve-racking. 

I hope everyone is safe and warm in your homes tonight and able to stay home for snow days, too. 

Cochlear Implants: A Perspective Worth Sharing

In our lives, we support American Sign Language and Deaf Culture.  It is a beautiful language and a beautiful culture and it is a language and culture worth preserving.  Yet, there is a battle that has existed since...well I guess since forever.  The battle of allowing Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to communicate in the way that seems to come naturally for them, or trying to "fix" them to talk and hear like other hearing people.  I think that for most people who have this need to "fix" this problem, the intent is good... they are just wanting to "help".  But the truth is, for many people. they don't want to be "fixed".  This would imply that something is wrong with them, and most Deaf and Hard of Hearing people do not see themselves as broken or in need of fixing. 

What is so wrong with being deaf?

 

That hasn't stopped people for centuries to try to come up with a cure to deafness.  Look at the telephone! That incredible invention that has changed our world and evolved into tiny computer smart phones that I can barely even figure out how to answer.  Alexander Graham Bell was not trying to revolutionize how hearing people communicate, he was looking for a cure to deafness. 

 

Technological devices continue to evolve in the hopes of "curing" deafness, but even in 2012, there is no cure.  Cochlear implants have been touted as such, but it is a slippery slope sometimes.  Within the medical and Deaf community it is an extremely controversial issue.  It will be a topic that I will probably discuss again over time, but I ran across this essay from a parent of a Deaf child and I was so compelled that I knew I had to share it. 

 

Her writing is honest, poignant and compelling.  I wish that all parents of deaf or hard of hearing children would read this and continue to reread it as they navigate the challenges of raising a deaf or hard of hearing child.  Please check out her essay here.

Words That Take My Breath Away

This morning I went to get my daughter out of bed she was standing with her baby in one hand and her "woof-woof" (a dog pillow pet) and she greeted me with:

 "Mommy, I want to snuggle with you.  Want to get two blankets for me?"

Yes please! Could we begin every morning this way!!  I LOVE it when she is so cuddly and sweet.  What mama doesn't want to cuddle with her baby!!

Alas, I had to go to work so I couldn't snuggle all morning with her like I desperately wanted. 

Why does she do these things on the days I work???

As we are changing her clothes she says to me,

"I love you Mommy, you make me happy.  You are happy now?"

Oh how I needed those words, this kindness!  I almost cried from the sheer joy to hear those words from her.  It's been a tough couple of weeks and I will take any kindness and love I can get and to get it from my darling 2 1/2 year old, who frequently begins her sentences with "you need to....", was absolutely priceless. 

I am writing about this now, so that on days when loving things are not dripping from her lips, hopefully I will be able to get through those days.  

An Internship with Santa

The other day I was trying to get out of the house....with the kids... just to get some groceries.  I had a plan, a timeline if you will, to get out of the house and to the store and back before lunch.  I was optimistic.  I was overly optimistic.  I wanted to be walking out the door at a goal time.

Then this scenario began to unfold:

The baby was eating breakfast.  The 2 year old was eating breakfast.  Well, sampling breakfast. "I want to do it myself" to pour the cereal and then the milk "myself".  A few bites of cereal.  I want oatmeal.  Baby cries due to neglect, throws spoon with cereal on floor.  (How does baby food have that kind of trajectory anyway?) Pour the oatmeal "myself".  Add the water "myself".  Baby still fussing.  Put oatmeal in microwave "myself".  Push buttons "myself".  BEEP. Oatmeal is done.   "I get it myself". "I stir it myself."  "It's a bit-a-bit hot.  Mommy blow on it."  For some reason that is something she does not feel compelled to do "herself".  A few bites of oatmeal, run down to play (insert Mom voice "come sit down and eat your breakfast"). Repeat this a few more times. 

Sufficient amount of food is consumed that I don't feel like SRS will be knocking on my door due to mal-nutirtion concerns.  Now to clean up the mess created.  Drops of milk on the table.  Oatmeal spilled on the counter from "myself" moments.  Baby cereal on EVERYTHING!  How does it get EVERYWHERE? On the floor, on the wall, the table, the chair, the high chair tray, the high chair buckle and straps, the high chair legs...seriously.  EVERYWHERE.

Ok, now on to step two.  Getting everyone dressed and diapers changed!  The baby just wriggles around like a pig rolling around in mud, so getting him dressed is like... well wrestling a greased pig.  Basically it is a one-hand maneuver because I have to use one hand to pin him down which only leaves one hand free for changing and dressing.  After much screaming and my forehead beginning to glisten the little one is freshly clothed.  (Notice I did not try to dress him before breakfast because remember how the cereal goes EVERYWHERE?  No point in having to try to do this twice!)

Sadly, the easy part is over.  Now comes the 2-year-old.  A child who has two clothing preferences: jammies or sans clothing. I thought the answer to independent 2-year-olds was to give them choices, options they could pick from to make them feel empowered.  Humph.  Not this two year old.  "Do you want to wear this or this today?" "No. I wanna wear my jammies!"  "No, we have to hurry and get dressed so we can go to the store.  You want to help me at the store, right." "No, I wanna wear my jammies!"  "Ok, I will pick for you. Let's wear this." "No wanna wear that.  Wanna wear mine jammies."  Let the wrestling begin.  In mid-change of diaper: "No wanna wear clothes.  Wanna run naked!"  And she wriggles away and does.  Usually in circles around a chair. 

Sigh.

Enter the pleading and begging and convincing that clothes are a good thing, that going to the store is fun and that wearing clothes to the store is a requirement.  Usually this involves a chase, some tickling and finally with some creative maneuvers, despite many protests of suffering, clothes are on.  Whew!  Checking the clock.  Ok, later than I hoped, but we can still do this.

Now to tackle that hair!

My daughter is blessed with beautiful curly hair.  Pull one of those darling curls down and ask her "what is this?"  She will answer "that's my winglet".  (ringlet)  Yep, it melts my heart.  I love those curls.  She did not get them from me.  Unfortunately, I know she will grow up hating them, while her mama will adore them with a twinge of jealousy her whole life. 

However, after a wild night of sleeping, those darling "winglets" look more like the head of Medusa. 

Honestly, this is tame compared to many days. 

This requires some serious taming with a squirt bottle of water and a big brush.  If you were a betting person, would you bet she enjoys this process, or not so much?  The answer is: not so much.  Enter more screaming, another power struggle and me begging her to let mama find her "ringlets". 

At this point I am thinking, eh, if we have lunch a little late today, no big deal. 

After this, I realize, I forgot shoes.  Now we have to search for the shoes.  If it's winter, she will want to wear sandals.  If it is summer, she will want to wear her "boot shoes".  It is inevitable.  Sigh.  Convince 2 year old that wearing the appropriate shoes for the weather is a good idea. 

But it is winter now, which means coats.  Groan.  Put one in arm.  Now the other arm.  Zipper.  Baby down.  Now for the 2 year old.  "I no wanna wear a coat."  "I no wanna wear that coat, want dis coat.  No, go away.  I do it myself.  (2 seconds later) Mama I need help."  Sigh. 

Ten minutes later:

Ok, we are ready to load up.  Diaper bag, check.  Purse, check.  Two-year-olds babies, check.  Load baby in car.  Baby screams and screams because he hates the car seat.  Realize I forgot to make the bottle I had planned to have at this point to pacify this predicted scenario.  Run in house to make bottle while baby screams in car and 2 year old begs "hold me, mommy, HOLD ME"!

At this point I debate on whether it is worth even trying to go to the store at all...but we have one kid locked and loaded so I sort of feel committed and at a point of no return. 

Bottle complete, baby quiet for a minute.  Two year old screaming "HOLD ME"!  Realize I forgot the keys.  Go back into house for car keys.  "Oh no mommy! I forgot my keys.  I need my keys! Oh no, I forgot my bag.  I need my bag, too!" 

Oy vey.

Alright, ready to load one more child in the car.  As we pull out of the driveway, I look at the clock in the car.  AN HOUR AND A HALF!  IT TOOK US AN HOUR AND A HALF!  In a twisted way, I can see the humor in this, but mostly I just keep thinking there are other mothers out there with twice as many kids and I know they can get their kids out the door in less than 30.  What is my problem?

As we pull out of the driveway and my daughter begins to comment on Christmas lights and decorations in my neighborhood, I realize there is a guy out there that seems to manage hundreds of little people and not only gets out the door, but travels the entire world in one night!!

Thus, I have concluded I need to do an internship with Santa, on how to manage little people, because my elves are taking over and I am starting to look like Mrs. Claus with all of the white hair!

Halloween Illuminaries

If you haven't noticed, I am in to decorating for Halloween: cheap!  And upcycyling.  We recycle alot in this household and I am proud of that. 

I was very close to my grandparents when I was growing up.  They grew up during the Great Depression.  The idea of saving everything because everything could be useful was how they lived until the day they died.  (This probably is much of the reasoning behind my slight hoarding tendencies, although I am afraid to admit this.  The honey will hold this over my head forever.)  Still, I would like to start finding more ways to reuse the things that we are already bringing into this household anyway.  Glass jars are my latest project. 

Glass jars, tissue paper, black construction paper or scrapbook paper, modge podge and a Cricut are all I used for the fun project that even my 2 year-old helped to "paint".  (The Cricut is not necessary, but a convenient option.)

I used plain old tissue paper, torn in strips to cover the glass jars I had from my recycling bin.  Salsa jars, pasta sauce jars, pickle jars... you name it. 

Use Modge Podge liberally to attach the tissue paper onto the jars.  You could be as creative as you want with this.  You could use stripes or create a stain glass kind of look.  I wanted to stay with solid colors this year, but who knows next year?

Next, I used black construction paper to cut out my designs.  I used a Halloween Cricut cartridge, but you could easily cut out Jack o' Lantern faces by hand.  Or print an outline of clip art and then trace around it and then cut the image out of the black paper. 

Really, the possibilities are endless. 

So many options, so little time. 

Sigh. 

Finally, use the Modge Podge again to attach your design to the jar and it is complete.  Simply add a tealight in and the mood is set. 

 I think I will add some ribbon at the top for a more finished look.  My sister-in-law suggested hanging those black spider rings on some of them with the web.  I think that could be fun.  See...the possibilities really are endless!

I tried to get some pictures of them staged on my front porch:

However, my little "helper" wouldn't leave them alone and kept rearranging them. 

"Mama, want to put this one here? Oh, ok."

"Oh, this one goes here, ok?"

"Over here, Mommy?  Want this one over here?"

"No, put this one here, right here. There."

(Please understand these are not really questions to me in a way to imply I have any input in this decision, what this really translates into is: I will put this here.)

What can you do? 

The little designer is already coming out. 

Simple Spider

I love the web, but it does look a little lonely. 

I need a spider. 

A very large spider. 

A very inexpensive, large spider. 

Isn't that why they made black trash bags?  I stuffed the trash bag half full with newpapers from the recycle bin and tied with a zip tie. 

I have a new found love and respect for zip ties!

Add a little more newspaper to make a head, and you guessed it: another zip tie!

Then I used black electrical tape to round the corners of the body a little so it didn't look so boxy.  I also used the electrical tape to hold back the excess trash bag behind the head. 

Now the body is complete, just need to add the legs.  Hmmm.

I need another inexpensive solution. 

At the hardware store there are foam tubes that are used to insulate pipes.  Conveniently, they are a black/dark gray color. 

PERFECT! 

 (Conveniently, my brother had some extras in his basement we borrowed.)

Enter the infamous zip ties again.  Four pieces of pipe insulation gathered and zip tied together.  (Ooops, this picture only shows three.  That's what I started with.  Then the honey came by and said, we need to be anatomically correct, so four it is. You will notice four in the final picture.)  These are flexible, so just manipulate them and zip tie the ends to the webbing to hold them in place. 

Yay!! I love it!

I had a few rubber spiders in my stash I got from Oriental Traders a few years back.  I added them to areas of the web for extra effect. 

Finally, I added the "mother" spider, by using a zip tie to attach the spider at the neck to the center of the web and the look is complete!

I am so happy with this, especially that it only cost  a couple of dollars at most to make.  I had almost everything on hand.  Web and spider cost me less than $3. 

Big impact, low cost. 

Sign me up. 

 I am beaming with pride!!!

The Tangled Web We Weave

I was pretty proud of myself and my door decoration plan that I was inspired to try one more low-cost, high-impact idea this year. 

My honey built two beautiful trellises for our front flower bed. 

They seemed the perfect place for an extra-large size spider web.  (A few years ago, my friend hosted a Halloween party at her house and she had created this huge spider web on her front porch and I have always wanted to try it myself, so this seemed as good a time as any.)

To begin with, I used a wire wreath frame I had from making Christmas wreaths.  I used this for the center of my web.  This, zip ties and rope are the only supplies you need. 

Notice the use of zip ties to attach the nylon rope to the wreath frame wire.

Easy-peasy!

I tied the ends to various parts of the trellis.  Then I began to weave the concentric circles around to complete the web.  I never had to cut the rope, I just hid the rope behind another piece, always using zip ties. 

I have decided that really all you need in life is zip ties and duct tape and you can do anything!

Use the zip ties to keep the circles in place. 

And voila!!

An extra-large spooky spider web. 

I had both of the kids with me while doing this project, which slowed me down a bit. (You know, cleaning dirt off of a 10-month-old who insists on taste-testing potting soil.  Chasing said 10-month old off the front porch steps because he has decided his newest skill is to climb them. The usual.) Plus, this was my first time constructing it, so it was a little slower going at times, but I would say I finished this in less than 90 minutes total, even with with kids. 

This truly is a low-cost, high-impact project and will become a staple in our Halloween decorations from now on!