I'm Doing Such a Good Job!!! ;-Q.....

A couple of weeks ago I took Aliya with me to the hair salon, and since we were there for a while I had my stylist cut her hair. She loved hanging out with the ladies, and when we were ready to leave she asked if she could use her tooth fairy money ($20 for 3 teeth) to come back and get a manicure. Later that night she said that she wanted to pay for her manicure and mine. I thought that was so sweet! The next day we were watching Idol Gives Back on the DVR, and she said, "I changed my mind. I want to send my tooth fairy money to Africa." I leaked out a couple of tears and she asked why I was crying. I gave her a hug and said, "Because I'm doing such a good job!!!!!!!!!!!" She's such a good girl!

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Where's the Fire??

The kids got a really nice surprise at soccer this morning. Toward the end of the game, a fire truck pulled up to the field and when the games were over the firemen let all of the kids go through the truck, sit in the front seat, take pictures, etc. They extended the ladder which attracted a lot of attention. I asked one of the firemen whether they were bored and looking for something to do, or if they were just doing some public relations. He said, "A little of both." It was a real treat. As a side benefit, Adlani has decided that he wants to be a fireman when he grows up (Fireman Sam, to be exact) instead of a toe-licker (like Annie).

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Records & Burpee

"America's Largest Traveling Children's Zoo"

I'm pretty sure this must be Americas ONLY Traveling Children's Zoo because it is not very large. I think we could have skipped this particular activity without any lasting effects, but Adlani had his heart set on it, so we went. The highlight was when the camels started fighting in their pen, with one camel biting the other camel's tail and both of them squealing and running around. The other bright spot was when we saw Pam on our way in (she was on her way out but that wasn't the bright spot) and she gave us 10 tickets (that was the bright spot). The entertainment choices consisted of the petting zoo ($1), a camel ride ($4), a pony ride ($3), and the moonwalk ($2). Lucky for us, Norah wouldn't participate in anything (hence the lack of photographic evidence of her presence) which saved us a few bucks. The good news is that so far nobody is exhibiting signs of Mad Cow Disease...or Mad Camel Disease.
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Mamajong!

I've always wanted to learn how to play Mahjong, and last night I finally had the opportunity. Lana very patiently explained the game to me and two other newbies. I'm still a little confused and I can't seem to remember the rule about picking up a tile to make a pair (not allowed), but I'd like to try it again. I'm a sucker for challenging games, although the idea of playing Zingo and drinking wine crossed my mind while I stared at a bunch of Mahjong tiles that didn't seem to add up to anything.

Speaking of Zingo, I think Miss Norah is going to give Aliya a run for her money in the child-genius department. When we were playing Zingo with the Funsecas, Norah independently started taking the leftover tiles and matching them to the pictures on a Zingo card that she found laying around and claimed for herself. Crazy!!!

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Tower Hill

Since it's school vacation week I've been taking some half-days off and working second shift to try to keep the hyenas at bay but also have some fun with the kids. Yesterday I took Adlani and Aliya to Tower Hill Botanical Gardens in Boylston, and met up with Kelli, Isabel, and Billy. Although on the way up the driveway Aliya proclaimed, "This looks boring!", it was actually great! They had craft projects set up for Earth Day, a beautiful orangerie, hundreds of daffodils, and gorgeous grounds to run around and enjoy. We had a picnic lunch and the kids were passed out 5 minutes after we pulled out of the parking lot. They even slept long enough for a trip through the DQ drive-thru!!

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The Fireballs are Back!!!

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It's time for spring soccer! Thankfully, the first game was rained out because it was about 40 degrees and pouring rain, but we had beautiful weather for last weekend's game. Aliya scored a couple of goals and all of the girls have improved from last season. Maren, Reece, Erin G., and Aliya are all on the same team again. Time will tell whether they can stop talking and play soccer.

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Fun With The Funsecas

We spent 5 fun-filled hours with the littlest Fonescas last Saturday night, while Karen and Nelson went to a wedding. Ben ran them around outdoors while I made dinner (quesadillas and chocolate chip cookies), and after dinner we played a rousing game of Zingo and then they settled in to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks (Adlani's 17th viewing). While we waited to see if Karen and Nelson were going to come back, I read stories and then we played the game where one person starts the story, the next person continues it, and so on. It was pretty hysterical - something about a girl who loses her magic toe ring in a mud puddle and dreams she can fly. We all survived, and I only had to dole out 2 time-outs. Not bad for 5 kids x 5 hours.

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Corn on the Cob

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Free To A Good Home

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Russia Wharf

This is one of my work projects - Russia Wharf near the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Congress Street in Boston. It's planned to be a 31-story office/residential tower. The project stalled for a while when one developer sold the property to another for just over $100M, but it appears to be moving forward again. I drove by last weekend and the existing historic buildings (c. 1900) have been demolished except for their facades, which will be incorporated into the new design. Without getting into a debate about historic vs. modern, whether Boston needs another residential/office tower, etc., isn't it cool how they built the structure to support the facades?



And just wait until you see the new locksets!




http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/rus.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia_Wharf
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Sleeping Around

As some of you already know...I have a secret. I sleep around. Around the house, that is. I've slept in the guest room, in the kids' beds, on the couch, and even on the floor. I rarely sleep in the master bedroom, because Ben and I are both magnetic and during the night the kids migrate to our bed and we end up a party of 5. If I start out in the guest room I usually end up with 1 or 2 kids but at least 1 ends up with Ben. I place the blame for this squarely on his shoulders. In Morocco, the kids sleep with the parents indefinitely. Under those circumstances, I don't know how they ever have more kids! I mean really, where am I supposed to sleep? In the 2 square feet of blank space above Aliya's head? Not to mention the fact that Norah has fallen out of bed about 10 times. Oh well...a family that sleeps together goes to the chiropractor together.
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A few cute sleeping pics of Adlani:
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Bloodmobile

For 6 months, I shuddered every time I looked at the April 14th entry on my calendar..."Blood Drive." I have blood issues. I'm pretty sure it started when I was about 4 or 5 and my stepfather fell off a ladder with a storm window and just about cut his hand off. We were home alone and I remember him looking through the window in the front door, begging for me to let him in. I thought he was playing a game and so he ended up running in through the garage and up the stairs, splattering blood on the walls along the way. I remember him talking on the phone to the pre-911 emergency service and receiving instructions to remove his belt and wrap it around his arm. He went off in an ambulance and I stayed home with a neighbor.

When I was about 13 I fainted in the doctor's office after the nurse who was drawing my blood said "oops". I spent 2 days in the hospital after that episode, had a CAT scan, and narrowly missed a spinal tap. I also fainted at school after my finger got pinched between 2 desks and a blood blister appeared, and at the grocery store when the deli clerk cut her hand on the meat slicer.

Since then I have had 3 babies and lots of blood tests for thyroid levels, so I thought our office blood drive might be the perfect opportunity for me to conquer my fear among friends. I DID IT!! For any of you who are afraid to give blood, it was really no big deal. I didn't look at my bag-o-blood, but I accidentally saw one of my coworkers' and even that didn't send me crashing to the floor. The most painful part of the whole thing was sitting in a broom closet answering questions about my health history and habits that might make me ineligible to give blood. It was all worth it though, when the nice lady asked me if I had ever had sex with anyone who was born or had lived in Africa. She was visibly startled when I answered, "At least twice a week since 1998."

5 million people per year receive blood transfusions...your blood can save a life! Plus you get guilt-free cookies! Just do it!!!

http://www.givelife.org/
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Health and Beauty Aids

For about a year, Norah has been battling eczema. It started out with a few little benign-looking spots here and there, and it has gotten a lot worse this winter. At the end of February she woke up with her legs beet-red like a bad sunburn and her chest and stomach covered with tiny red bumps. The next day her back and arms had the red bumps as well, and her legs were all blotchy. We tried so many products and nothing really helped. To identify the trigger we changed the type of pajamas she wore, the bath soap we used, and witheld certain foods. We weren't able to get rid of it entirely, but a couple of weeks ago I found Aveeno Eczema Care lotion. IT WORKS!!! Now she has just a few small patches - very manageable. I highly recommend this lotion!!

A couple of weeks ago (Monday), Norah was showing signs of conjunctivitis (pink eye) so I took her to the doctor. He said she had allergies. The next day I found out that 3 other kids at her day care had conjunctivitis. The rule for day care is that the child has to have the magic eye ointment for 24 hours before they can return. I called the pediatrician and was told by the nurse that they would not prescribe the ointment for Norah. I told her that several of the other kids used the same pediatric practice and were able to get the ointment. Their answer was still NO! So Norah and I settled in at home for the duration. She still had it on Friday so I called the pediatrician and the answer was STILL NO!!! Luckily it cleared up over the weekend...unluckily (Is that a word?) I ended up with conjunctivitis. I haven't had it since junior high and it SUCKS! BUT...I bought an over-the-counter remedy at Walgreens that really helps! It still sucks but at least it sucks a little bit less.

Speaking of eyes...I've somehow lost my bottle of Arbonne Eye Cream. This is the potion I used on one eye for two weeks to see if there was a difference. After the two week trial period there was an obvious difference between the treated and untreated eyes, and only one person chose the wrong eye in the unofficial test. I REALLY need to find it or shell out another $45, or I'll have to live with one wrinkly eye and one less-wrinkly eye forever. Maybe it will turn up during the ongoing decluttering.

Marathon Monday

It was such a beautiful day today that I (went temporarily insane and) took the kids down to the marathon route to cheer on our friend Marla, who ran in support of Children's Hospital. I freely admit that I have never in my life run a 10-minute mile. Today, Marla ran more than 26 10-minute miles to finish the Boston Marathon for the Miles for Miracles team and her patient partner, Samantha. When I turned the TV on this morning to see what was happening at the starting line, the winner in the wheelchair division was just crossing the finish line and Aliya said, "Aw...I guess Marla didn't win." She's still a winner to us!! Go Marla!!!

In the picture above, Marla is the one with the lampost jutting out of the top of her head.
https://www.mwareinc.com/events/web/profiles/?EventID=112&ProfileID=GM0051

Here she is, running by us so fast you can barely spot her!!!


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Class of 2022?

I had a parent-teacher conference for Adlani this week and he has apparently made great strides since the beginning of the school year. We need to work on his writing ability...he hasn't mastered holding a pencil yet and hasn't chosen a dominant hand. He's very good at building things though, so it's not a question of motor skills. While I was talking to the teacher he completely filled the triangle frame with tiles. The teacher said she had never seen any of the kids do it.
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Today I was the mystery reader for Adlani's class. I read "Somebody and the Three Blairs" and "Prince Cinders". The kids loved the books, although I almost completely lost it when they all started shouting out comments about the big hairy monkey's butt. The teacher and I were hysterical. Aliya is going to be the mystery reader on June 2nd for Adlani's current class and the Spanish immersion class he'll be in next year. She's already practicing.

I talked to Adlani's teacher and the director about kindergarten readiness. I'm sure you all know that I've been struggling with whether to hold him back or not. I learned today that if his teacher (next year) strongly feels that he should be held back, he can stay at BLOCKS for another year, but it won't be my decision. If she thinks he's ready for kindergarten and I disagree, he'll have to go to Next Generation or another private school. It actually feels good to have the decision taken out of my hands and into more qualified hands. My impression today was that they don't currently see any delays that would require him to be held back.
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Me Encanta

Aliya's school held a poetry night this week. At first she wasn't sure she could write a poem but we talked about it and she ended up writing a poem about things she loved. Then she wasn't sure she wanted to read it in front of people since it was very personal and "people might think it was dumb". Since her poem was in Spanish I suggested that she show it to her teacher so she could advise her on grammar. I had Aliya's parent-teacher conference that day and her teacher loved the poem. She told Aliya that she would come to poetry night JUST for Aliya (there were only 3 kindergarteners who participated and Aliya was the only one from her class). During the day, the principal saw Aliya in line with her poem and she asked her about it. Aliya told her that she was going to recite it at poetry night, and the principal took her into the office to recite it for the secretaries, a couple of teachers, and the nurse. Before we left home to go to poetry night, Aliya said that it was ok if people thought her poem was dumb, there were at least 8 people who liked it. She did a great job!



Me Encanta (I Love)
By: Aliya

Me encanta mi familia (I love my family)
Me encanta nadar (I love swimming)
Me encanta colorear (I love coloring)
Me encanta cantar (I love singing)
Me encanta rosada (I love pink)
Me encanta leer (I love to read)
Me encanta mis maestras (I love my teachers)
Me encanta escribir (I love to write)
Me encanta mi nuevo dormitorio (I love my new bedroom)
Me encanta chiclit (I love gum)
Me encanta mis amigas (I love my friends)
Me encanta las frutas (I love fruit)
Que le encanta tu? (What do you love?)
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Time Flies When We're Having Fun!

Seriously...where does the time go?? I'm aware that it's Friday, because that's the night Ben takes the kids upstairs for movie night and I have "a night off" a.k.a. catch up on laundry, write blog entries, maybe read a few chapters and hopefully go to bed (alone!!) at a decent hour. I recognize Sunday because that's when I get everything ready for Monday...work/emails, backpacks, lunch money, etc. Everything else is a blur until Thursday, when I have Adlani and Norah home and I basically start work at naptime and work into the wee hours. TIME FLIES!!! I feel the urgent need to slow it down before time runs out.
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We've been doing lots of fun stuff...I'll start with the most recent and work backward.
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Last weekend we went to the Big Apple Circus. If you haven't gone, GO!!! I have gone every year for about 12 years. It's fabulous! It's different every year and I've never been disappointed. It's a wonderful charity and I join every year, which gives us access to great seats at a discount, plus the annual member party where we get free food and drinks, entertainment, face painting, and a lovely parting gift for the kids (lunch bags this year). Adlani even overcame his fear of clowns at the member party. During the show, I was asked to participate by raising an umbrella before a clown spit a mouthful of water on me. The kids were so surprised and excited. It was a blast.
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The first weekend of the month we "dropped into art" at the Danforth Museum. The girls made sculptures of animals which took so long that we didn't get to see any of the art! We'll be back next month...it was a lot of fun - and FREE!
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Before that, we had a date with Zineb at Chuck E Cheez (one of my least favorite places). If you don't know Zineb, she is our niece and she lived with us for about a year when she was a junior in high school. I hadn't seen her in a while and I'm so proud of what a beautiful woman she has grown up to be. She works at Tufts Dental School and is engaged! The kids are in love with her and we had a great time getting reacquainted.
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Easter weekend was a crazy whirlwind. We had 2 egg hunts, Lindsey's birthday party, a swimming lesson, and Easter dinner. It was chaotic, but fun. We still have about 5 pounds of jelly beans and we all need emergency visits to the dentist. I actually just went through a dental ordeal...a toothache, a filling and a cleaning, another toothache (same tooth), antibiotics and Tylenol with Codeine, a root canal, a post, a temporary crown, and a permanent crown. I spent 8 HOURS in the dentist's chair. At least I was able to track down my favorite dentist who changed practices after her maternity leave.
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Here are some pics from Easter weekend:
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