Only one more week and we will become an international family. We are hosting an exchange student from the Netherlands, who happens to be the daughter of a friend I had in high school. I love that we are part of one family's multi-generation exchange experience.
Mother and daughter will have very different experiences though. Bridgette went to my high school in a small town in Montana back in 1982-83. Life was different back then, no internet, no cell phones, no facebook! We live in southern California in a city with three very large high schools. The culture difference between Montana and California is striking, and the climate difference is drastic. Suffice it to say, Fenna will not be reliving her mom's experience even though I am a common person for both of them. Just thinking about hosting Bridgette's daughter has really made me think a lot about the dramatic differences in my life from then to now.
We only have 7 days until she arrives. I was nervous before, but now I'm feeling more confident that things will be great. My main concern is that we are so much more chaotic, busy and loud than what she is probably used to.
I finally decided to make a list of what I wanted to get done before Fenna arrives and school starts. We always save our house projects for summer because that's when my husband finally has time to devote to anything that needs attention. He was sick for a few weeks this summer and his projects were not getting done, not at all. In fact, he still hasn't done anything on his list. Oy. But, I made a list for myself and felt a lot less overwhelmed with life in general once I had my scattered worries all typed out in a nice neat list.
I was knocking things off my long list and feeling like I might actually be able to survive the summer without losing my mind. And then, I did myself a huge favor and divided my list into sections: stuff to do, stuff to do after school starts, and stuff for Keith to do. Ahhhh, my list of things to do before next week not only became manageable but it is very possible I might get it all done! Wouldn't that be something!
Keith was supposed to start back to school on Friday the 5th, but he has to go in on Monday the 1st. That gives him today to finish his list. No worries, I told him if he doesn't do his stuff he can hire someone to take care of that. Hit him in the wallet, that'll motivate the boy!
Since our daughter moved home with her 11 month old tornado of destruction, we've had to make a lot of changes around here. She works, so I am often herding all three runts by myself. This does not help me get anything done. I deleted things off of my to-do list just because they were going to be impossible. I removed all of my summer sewing projects from my list. There just isn't time. Maybe after school starts, maybe I can hire a babysitter for Libby and Charlie so that I can sit down and sew. In the meantime, I'm trying to run the rug doctor in between naps.
The biggest change with adding them to the household was shuffling the three bedrooms. What a big job! The room I had ready for Fenna became the little girls' room and their room became Lexie and Charlie's room. Now the guest room is being transformed into Fenna's room. It sounds a lot easier than it is.
Fenna gets a bigger room with a bigger window than she would have had. She will be the only bedroom on the main floor, but that might be nice for her too. She'll have more privacy in the mornings when she is getting ready for school, and the bathroom downstairs is the best one. Plus, if she has friends over, they won't have to go upstairs to her room and pass by all of our rooms. This should work out just fine... seven people in one house and Fenna ends up getting her own room and it is a nice sized one too! It isn't pink though, that's the big sacrifice.
I let the exchange student company know about the additions to our household. The main YFU representative that I have contact with delegated the responsibility of running a criminal background check on Lexie to another YFU rep. After a week of not hearing anything, I contacted YFU again. She delegated the job to yet another YFU person. So far, her emails have included five or six other YFU workers (since the beginning of our contact). I have no idea who our rep really is since it seems to be a different person each time we have any contact. We completed our on-line host family orientation too. I'm glad I didn't drive all the way to Orange with three kids to watch a power point presentation of the parenting handbook. Anyway, that is done and there were no surprises in the information. Pretty straight forward common sense type things. The information was good though, it just wasn't anything I couldn't figure out on my own.
Now that there is only a week left, I'm trying to think of the last minute things that need to be done too. I found a dictionary and a thesaurus to put in her room, and last night I found my MLA handbook. That's what she'll need for school! I hope her reading list is a good one, I probably have some of the books already, we'll see.
What a difference a list and a week make! Last week I was nervous and this week I am just excited. I'm still not ready though. Good thing I have a few days yet!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Where are my shoulders?
I think all hairdressers should be required to take an anatomy class. Basic anatomy, nothing overly complicated. I honestly think knowing the difference between shoulders and ears could be a valuable tool of their trade.
I went to get a haircut. Why do I torture myself? I should just let it grow and not worry about damaged ends, it would be less irritating than getting a haircut.
I said to the lady with the tri-color mohawk, "Shoulder length all the way around". I told her, "It is really important to me that I can pull my hair back into a pony tail, so no layers can be shorter than shoulder length." She acted like she totally understood. I pointed, she nodded, I hoped for the best.
My shoulders are apparently somewhere between my neck and the top of my head. Odd, I thought that's where my ears were. Who knows, these hairdressers don't seem to!
She gave me a cute wedge cut that is a little bit longer in the front. My daughter said it was an A line and stacked in the back. The hairdresser said my curls will make it seem shorter, but its just what I wanted. Hmmm. Really? I didn't want a Dorothy Hamel cut, I wanted a shoulder length all the way around cut!
I cannot pull it back into a pony tail now. I've tried, it's too short and the pony tail stump that I can get with about half my hair won't hold. I have hair hanging on my neck in the middle of a hot summer. This does not make me happy, but it does make me sweaty and itchy. My neighbor told me it was cute. I don't care if it's cute, its covering half my neck and it's hanging in my face. Grrrr!
Actually, it is kinda cute and I do like it. It could be worse, and it has been. Too bad it's the wrong time of year to have hair I can't pull back.
I'm so glad that I taught all of my children the different body parts. All of my girls knew nearly every part before they were even two years old. Neck. Shoulders. Ears. Chin. They could all teach hair school! I wish they would so I could get a decent haircut someday. Sigh. Next time, I'll let Gracie and Libby trim it. Of course, I have to wait several months because its so short it won't need a trim for ages.
Why do women like getting their hair done anyway?
I went to get a haircut. Why do I torture myself? I should just let it grow and not worry about damaged ends, it would be less irritating than getting a haircut.
I said to the lady with the tri-color mohawk, "Shoulder length all the way around". I told her, "It is really important to me that I can pull my hair back into a pony tail, so no layers can be shorter than shoulder length." She acted like she totally understood. I pointed, she nodded, I hoped for the best.
My shoulders are apparently somewhere between my neck and the top of my head. Odd, I thought that's where my ears were. Who knows, these hairdressers don't seem to!
She gave me a cute wedge cut that is a little bit longer in the front. My daughter said it was an A line and stacked in the back. The hairdresser said my curls will make it seem shorter, but its just what I wanted. Hmmm. Really? I didn't want a Dorothy Hamel cut, I wanted a shoulder length all the way around cut!
I cannot pull it back into a pony tail now. I've tried, it's too short and the pony tail stump that I can get with about half my hair won't hold. I have hair hanging on my neck in the middle of a hot summer. This does not make me happy, but it does make me sweaty and itchy. My neighbor told me it was cute. I don't care if it's cute, its covering half my neck and it's hanging in my face. Grrrr!
Actually, it is kinda cute and I do like it. It could be worse, and it has been. Too bad it's the wrong time of year to have hair I can't pull back.
I'm so glad that I taught all of my children the different body parts. All of my girls knew nearly every part before they were even two years old. Neck. Shoulders. Ears. Chin. They could all teach hair school! I wish they would so I could get a decent haircut someday. Sigh. Next time, I'll let Gracie and Libby trim it. Of course, I have to wait several months because its so short it won't need a trim for ages.
Why do women like getting their hair done anyway?
Monday, July 25, 2011
Gave up Dairy Farming
On May 10th at 6:00pm (I know, it's July now. I'm not sure how that happened so fast!), I quit breastfeeding. Yes, I did. I am no longer the milk-cow!
It sort of happened by accident. I've been wanting to wean but not really knowing how to go about doing it. You'd think after four children I would be a pro, people keep telling me that I must be one, but some things are just hard to do no matter how much experience I've had.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't just decide to quit nursing and that's that. No. Much to my husband's surprise (and plenty of other people too), it doesn't happen like that. It's not as easy as going out to the back yard and turning off the water faucet to the sprinklers. There are a lot of factors involved that make the whole breastfeeding thing harder than it looks. There are hormones and feelings and complicated crazy things like that with every meal. And there is very little support for weaning! No, I take that back. There is NO support for weaning!
I started this addictive habit over 5 years ago on March 14, 2006. The day Gracie was born! I had a hard time weaning her too, but I managed to quit just in time for my third trimester of pregnancy with Libby. After the 3 month break, I started nursing again on September 30, 2008. But because I was super pregnant when I quit nursing Gracie, my body just stayed in dairy-cow mode.
With Gracie, who is my third baby, I weaned her on a roadtrip. We drove 3800 miles round trip and nursing in the vehicle is impossible. When we weren't driving, we were busy. She had so much fun that she slept hard at night and ate really well when we sat for meals. Incidentally, most meals were in restaurants and by that time I had given up nursing her in public (much). Being on vacation helped us both to fill the days and nights with activity, food and sleep. It was the perfect way to wean!
I thought I'll do the same thing with Libby when we go on our annual summer roadtrip. But, we decided not to go this year - crazy as that sounds! We decided to act like normal people and not haul our family halfway across the country in a mini-van. There went my weaning plan.
Luckily, Libby got a stomach virus. Wait, that wasn't lucky. Well, it sort of was. You be the judge. She was a puke fountain, poor kid. Keith told her it was because she grew too big for boo-boo. She said "am I fwee yeez old now?" He said "yes". She was very thoughtful as she processed the cause and effect in her little head. She didn't want it all night; she'd wake me up and say "boo-boo is for babies" and then whine or ask for a hug and go back to sleep. My poor baby!
And who are we kidding, poor me too. My body was not listening to what was going on in our little world. It was still making milk, and then making more. Oh, mama, I was looking lovely! And I was in a lot of pain, couldn't sleep, but it's worth it, right?
In the morning, I kept Gracie home from school because I was worried she would start puking too. They usually do these types of things together. Mostly, I was afraid if Gracie puked it would throw off the too big for boo-boo story that Libby was wholeheartedly believing.
Gracie did get sick, but Libby was too self-absorbed to noticed her sister's mad dashes to the bathroom. Whew!
With the sudden "birthday", the boobie bar was closed. Libby announced over and over again that she was now "fwee yeez ode" although she wasn't quite ready to grow up so fast, she handled it well. First, she demanded birthday cake and presents. We told her that she needed to stop puking first and then we would have a party for her. She climbed up into my lap and said "I'm too big for boo-boo now. I just want a hug." We hugged and then she said, "you will get me a tea set for my birfday today". Bossy little thing now that she is three. But she stuck to her decision to be three, so we played the game. The puking triggered the weaning, but turning three cinched the deal. Apparently, when you are three, the milk is no good. I won't argue.
Noon. Libby had explosive diarrhea, I had ice packs on my chest, and dang it, Gracie was puking like a college student on a Saturday morning. Day 2 of weaning was looking rough. I WANTED to give it up, why is this so hard? Because I was closing a long chapter in my life? Great, the kids are sick and I'm having a hormonal weeping attack.
4:30 I don't think I can take the crying. She's just crying! And crying! And crying!!!
6:30. Daddy came home and told her Happy Birthday, she explained how she needs a cake and a present. It should be a teapot. I'm just glad she quit crying.
They are both sick and feeling yucky. Poor girl, sick on her fake birthday. I'm looking mighty fine. Getting some lovely cleavage from this sudden end of an era. In fact, I was barely recognizable.
24 Hours!!! She was not asking for it at all. She had some water and she had rice for dinner. Gracie looked at her rice and went to the bathroom and threw up. I was hoping tomorrow would be better for everyone, and that Libby would still be "Fee Yeez Ode" and really, I feel like this last year went by way too fast! Whatever, if she wants to be three, I'm ok with that, but she's gonna stay three for a year and a half at least!
Daddy rocked her to sleep without a battle of any kind. No resistance. But, she said, "When I was little, I was a baby and I used to have boo boo. Now I big. I free yeez ode." Ah, reminiscing about the good ol' days.
Day 2: She slept through the whole night in her own bed! I think I am gonna like having boob freedom! Speaking of my boobs... my cups runneth over. Damn, I was sexy!
Libby asked for it in the morning and I reminded her that she is too big. She cried. She said she is sad. But she moved on to the breakfast table without a problem. We had blueberry muffins for breakfast and Libby was so excited! "My Birfday cake!" Oh, kid, this birthday thing is just too much fun! At least there is some fun to the big changes going on in our lives.
Both girls were to be feeling good that day. No puking or poop explosions. yay! To celebrate their return to normal digestive processes, we went shopping and found a little tea set. Happy Third Birthday, Libby-Lou.
It has been almost three months since we weaned. She still insists that she is "Fwee Yeez Ode" and one of these days the calendar will catch up with her. She's eating and sleeping like a champ, but still enjoys some lap-time. My voluptuous figure shrank; I'm looking droopy but feeling normal. We have tea parties often; I've drank more than my fair share of imaginary tea! She has trouble falling asleep, consoling herself when her feelings are hurt, or conquering boredom, but she's come a long way since the old days when she nursed.
It sort of happened by accident. I've been wanting to wean but not really knowing how to go about doing it. You'd think after four children I would be a pro, people keep telling me that I must be one, but some things are just hard to do no matter how much experience I've had.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't just decide to quit nursing and that's that. No. Much to my husband's surprise (and plenty of other people too), it doesn't happen like that. It's not as easy as going out to the back yard and turning off the water faucet to the sprinklers. There are a lot of factors involved that make the whole breastfeeding thing harder than it looks. There are hormones and feelings and complicated crazy things like that with every meal. And there is very little support for weaning! No, I take that back. There is NO support for weaning!
I started this addictive habit over 5 years ago on March 14, 2006. The day Gracie was born! I had a hard time weaning her too, but I managed to quit just in time for my third trimester of pregnancy with Libby. After the 3 month break, I started nursing again on September 30, 2008. But because I was super pregnant when I quit nursing Gracie, my body just stayed in dairy-cow mode.
With Gracie, who is my third baby, I weaned her on a roadtrip. We drove 3800 miles round trip and nursing in the vehicle is impossible. When we weren't driving, we were busy. She had so much fun that she slept hard at night and ate really well when we sat for meals. Incidentally, most meals were in restaurants and by that time I had given up nursing her in public (much). Being on vacation helped us both to fill the days and nights with activity, food and sleep. It was the perfect way to wean!
I thought I'll do the same thing with Libby when we go on our annual summer roadtrip. But, we decided not to go this year - crazy as that sounds! We decided to act like normal people and not haul our family halfway across the country in a mini-van. There went my weaning plan.
Luckily, Libby got a stomach virus. Wait, that wasn't lucky. Well, it sort of was. You be the judge. She was a puke fountain, poor kid. Keith told her it was because she grew too big for boo-boo. She said "am I fwee yeez old now?" He said "yes". She was very thoughtful as she processed the cause and effect in her little head. She didn't want it all night; she'd wake me up and say "boo-boo is for babies" and then whine or ask for a hug and go back to sleep. My poor baby!
And who are we kidding, poor me too. My body was not listening to what was going on in our little world. It was still making milk, and then making more. Oh, mama, I was looking lovely! And I was in a lot of pain, couldn't sleep, but it's worth it, right?
In the morning, I kept Gracie home from school because I was worried she would start puking too. They usually do these types of things together. Mostly, I was afraid if Gracie puked it would throw off the too big for boo-boo story that Libby was wholeheartedly believing.
Gracie did get sick, but Libby was too self-absorbed to noticed her sister's mad dashes to the bathroom. Whew!
With the sudden "birthday", the boobie bar was closed. Libby announced over and over again that she was now "fwee yeez ode" although she wasn't quite ready to grow up so fast, she handled it well. First, she demanded birthday cake and presents. We told her that she needed to stop puking first and then we would have a party for her. She climbed up into my lap and said "I'm too big for boo-boo now. I just want a hug." We hugged and then she said, "you will get me a tea set for my birfday today". Bossy little thing now that she is three. But she stuck to her decision to be three, so we played the game. The puking triggered the weaning, but turning three cinched the deal. Apparently, when you are three, the milk is no good. I won't argue.
Noon. Libby had explosive diarrhea, I had ice packs on my chest, and dang it, Gracie was puking like a college student on a Saturday morning. Day 2 of weaning was looking rough. I WANTED to give it up, why is this so hard? Because I was closing a long chapter in my life? Great, the kids are sick and I'm having a hormonal weeping attack.
2:30. Libby was really tired and couldn't manage to fall asleep without being nursed. But, she's three years old now so we had tough it out. I was dead tired. Hope she falls asleep. If Libby would just go to sleep.
4:30 I don't think I can take the crying. She's just crying! And crying! And crying!!!
6:30. Daddy came home and told her Happy Birthday, she explained how she needs a cake and a present. It should be a teapot. I'm just glad she quit crying.
They are both sick and feeling yucky. Poor girl, sick on her fake birthday. I'm looking mighty fine. Getting some lovely cleavage from this sudden end of an era. In fact, I was barely recognizable.
24 Hours!!! She was not asking for it at all. She had some water and she had rice for dinner. Gracie looked at her rice and went to the bathroom and threw up. I was hoping tomorrow would be better for everyone, and that Libby would still be "Fee Yeez Ode" and really, I feel like this last year went by way too fast! Whatever, if she wants to be three, I'm ok with that, but she's gonna stay three for a year and a half at least!
Daddy rocked her to sleep without a battle of any kind. No resistance. But, she said, "When I was little, I was a baby and I used to have boo boo. Now I big. I free yeez ode." Ah, reminiscing about the good ol' days.
Day 2: She slept through the whole night in her own bed! I think I am gonna like having boob freedom! Speaking of my boobs... my cups runneth over. Damn, I was sexy!
Libby asked for it in the morning and I reminded her that she is too big. She cried. She said she is sad. But she moved on to the breakfast table without a problem. We had blueberry muffins for breakfast and Libby was so excited! "My Birfday cake!" Oh, kid, this birthday thing is just too much fun! At least there is some fun to the big changes going on in our lives.
Both girls were to be feeling good that day. No puking or poop explosions. yay! To celebrate their return to normal digestive processes, we went shopping and found a little tea set. Happy Third Birthday, Libby-Lou.
It has been almost three months since we weaned. She still insists that she is "Fwee Yeez Ode" and one of these days the calendar will catch up with her. She's eating and sleeping like a champ, but still enjoys some lap-time. My voluptuous figure shrank; I'm looking droopy but feeling normal. We have tea parties often; I've drank more than my fair share of imaginary tea! She has trouble falling asleep, consoling herself when her feelings are hurt, or conquering boredom, but she's come a long way since the old days when she nursed.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The Kindergarten Registration That Didn't Happen
Gracie is supposed to start kindergarten this year. Let's hope that happens!
I have been to the school twice to register her. Both times I was turned away.
Before I went, I checked the school web site and printed out the registration forms. I think I have it all. Maybe.
The first time I attempted to register the kid, I went to the school and found the office. We went in and there was another family in there and a very flustered secretary trying to help them. She told me it would be a long wait because she is the substitute secretary and she was trying to register a family from out of the country. I asked if I could just give her Gracie's name for the kindergarten list and she rolled her eyes at me in this "if it were only that easy" sort of way. Ok, fine, we'll come back another day.
Attempt number two: I went back to the school a few days later. The substitute secretary was still there. She rifled through my folder of papers and informed me that I didn't have everything I need. And, I had papers I didn't need. She wouldn't accept those because they they would be handed out to the students at school and then you fill them out and send them back. It's the same form and I already filled it out. Doesn't matter, they want it sent home and returned to the teacher. Can't you just stick it in her file and then it's done? No. Well... Ok. I didn't have enough proof that we live here. I needed one more utility bill, my drivers license wouldn't work as ID. Hmm, well, Ok.
And then she looked at Gracie's immunization card and said, oh no. We can't register her at all. You can take all of your papers and go. What? Yes, the substitute secretary told me no way for registering. So I asked to talk to someone else, maybe someone who isn't a substitute. She called over a couple of other ladies and they all agreed that Gracie was missing six shots and if she's just missing one, she cannot enroll in school. They can't even take her name down as a student who will be coming in the fall. I told them I'll sign a vaccine waiver so we can at least get her registered and I'll get her shots over the summer before school starts. Nope. No waiver. Since I showed them her immunization card, it is obvious that my religion does not prohibit shots. I was given the "don't waste our time" look in triplicate, so I left. Again, not registered for kindergarten.
That was all last April, or maybe it was May.
Now it is the end of July. I think I have enough paperwork for them, lets hope so anyway. I have a folder full of stuff to take them, and they can take whatever fits in their file.
I took Gracie to get her shots too. She's all caught up! I checked on the California Dept of Education website to see what shots are required for kindergarten entry, and sure enough, she doesn't need six stinking shots! She only needed three and three is all she got. I printed that page and put it in her kindergarten paperwork packet just in case the school does not agree. I also found out that I can sign a "Personal Choice" waiver instead of a "Religious Beliefs" waiver for the shots if they want her to have more shots than required. Cool. I am all for getting the shots, but not all at once!
Kindergarten starts August 11th. I'm hoping to get her registered before then, but we'll see. The office might be closed until closer to the start date, but I will swing by the school and check next week. I am really hoping to get her in our neighborhood school before it fills up and they start turning students away. Private kindergarten costs over five grand! I'm not so sure I'm up for home schooling. Overcrowded public school sounds so much better! And I'm shooting for the afternoon class. What are the odds that I can last-minute register my daughter and get my first pick time slot?
I have been to the school twice to register her. Both times I was turned away.
Before I went, I checked the school web site and printed out the registration forms. I think I have it all. Maybe.
The first time I attempted to register the kid, I went to the school and found the office. We went in and there was another family in there and a very flustered secretary trying to help them. She told me it would be a long wait because she is the substitute secretary and she was trying to register a family from out of the country. I asked if I could just give her Gracie's name for the kindergarten list and she rolled her eyes at me in this "if it were only that easy" sort of way. Ok, fine, we'll come back another day.
Attempt number two: I went back to the school a few days later. The substitute secretary was still there. She rifled through my folder of papers and informed me that I didn't have everything I need. And, I had papers I didn't need. She wouldn't accept those because they they would be handed out to the students at school and then you fill them out and send them back. It's the same form and I already filled it out. Doesn't matter, they want it sent home and returned to the teacher. Can't you just stick it in her file and then it's done? No. Well... Ok. I didn't have enough proof that we live here. I needed one more utility bill, my drivers license wouldn't work as ID. Hmm, well, Ok.
And then she looked at Gracie's immunization card and said, oh no. We can't register her at all. You can take all of your papers and go. What? Yes, the substitute secretary told me no way for registering. So I asked to talk to someone else, maybe someone who isn't a substitute. She called over a couple of other ladies and they all agreed that Gracie was missing six shots and if she's just missing one, she cannot enroll in school. They can't even take her name down as a student who will be coming in the fall. I told them I'll sign a vaccine waiver so we can at least get her registered and I'll get her shots over the summer before school starts. Nope. No waiver. Since I showed them her immunization card, it is obvious that my religion does not prohibit shots. I was given the "don't waste our time" look in triplicate, so I left. Again, not registered for kindergarten.
That was all last April, or maybe it was May.
Now it is the end of July. I think I have enough paperwork for them, lets hope so anyway. I have a folder full of stuff to take them, and they can take whatever fits in their file.
I took Gracie to get her shots too. She's all caught up! I checked on the California Dept of Education website to see what shots are required for kindergarten entry, and sure enough, she doesn't need six stinking shots! She only needed three and three is all she got. I printed that page and put it in her kindergarten paperwork packet just in case the school does not agree. I also found out that I can sign a "Personal Choice" waiver instead of a "Religious Beliefs" waiver for the shots if they want her to have more shots than required. Cool. I am all for getting the shots, but not all at once!
Kindergarten starts August 11th. I'm hoping to get her registered before then, but we'll see. The office might be closed until closer to the start date, but I will swing by the school and check next week. I am really hoping to get her in our neighborhood school before it fills up and they start turning students away. Private kindergarten costs over five grand! I'm not so sure I'm up for home schooling. Overcrowded public school sounds so much better! And I'm shooting for the afternoon class. What are the odds that I can last-minute register my daughter and get my first pick time slot?
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Getting Nervous!
This summer has been flying by so fast! We haven't done anywhere near as much as we thought we would accomplish this summer; we say that at the end of every summer. I wonder when I will learn. In two short weeks, my husband will go back to teaching and Fenna, our exchange student, arrives from The Netherlands!
Recently, our second daughter moved back home with her baby too. This house is always hopping!
When I volunteered our family to host an exchange student, there were only the four of us in the house. We had two bedrooms being used for storage and toys and guests, but they were available for someone to inhabit for a good long time. I had hoped beyond all hope that Lexie would come back home, but after two years, I sort of gave up. At 20 years old, she is more stubborn than ever and I felt like it just wasn't going to happen. We agreed that our family of four would grow to five by taking her as our exchange-student daughter. Yay!
Of course, after all of the arrangements were made and agreed upon to have Fenna move in with us, Lexie moves home. We certainly aren't going to turn Lexie away, but now our host family agreement is off kilter. I better inform the exchange student company who arranges all of the host student and family pairings. Our application to host reflects a family of four and we had a family interview where everyone who lives in the house had to be present. YFU also called our friends and neighbors and checked on our character and checked to see if we are criminals or anything. It wasn't until after those were approved that Lexie and Charlie moved back home. In fact, Lexie is still unloading things from her car. Now I'm feeling a little weird and wonder if I need to amend all of the applications and interview process and all of that. I'm pretty sure that the timing is too tight to make any changes, and I really don't want to mess up her exchange year by being suddenly denied as a host family.
I think we will still be a good family to host her. Even though there are now six of us instead of four. She will have her own bedroom and share a bathroom, those arrangements are the same. Although, we did decide to give her the main floor bedroom rather than an upstairs bedroom. She is actually getting a bigger room. But, the interviewer and the application required photos of her room and I submitted photos of a different bedroom.
We moved the little girls from the green bedroom upstairs to the pink room. They will share a bedroom just like they always have done. They get lonely, so they need to share. Lexie and Charlie are taking the green room, which was Lexie's room before. It is a bigger bedroom and will be better for the two of them. Charlie needs an upstairs room so that he can go to bed earlier than the rest of us and our noise won't be keeping him awake. The bedroom downstairs was their other option, but the house is too active down on the main floor for a sleeping baby. That's why Fenna gets the room downstairs and Lexie and Charlie are taking an upper floor room. It works out anyway you arrange it, Fenna would have her own room either up or down stairs.
Hopefully, YFU will be in favor of us moving her from an upstairs room to a downstairs room. I can send them photos if they want them. She'll have a bed, dresser, desk, chair, closet, window... all of the requirements from the company. They don't require that she has her own room, but they require that she has her own bed in a bedroom with a window that meets fire code. I guess we qualify for all of that. I just don't want them to think we are really flaky before she even arrives. Watch, they'll stick red flags on our family file. Egads! The difficult family! See how crazy nervous I am?
Why am I so nervous about being a good host family? Well... because! Someone with a pen and a clipboard is judging my momness! This girl is the daughter of one of my friends from high school. Fenna's mom was an exchange student and we were friends in 1983! How cool is that? So of course, I want to be Fenna's host family and I don't want YFU to tell me we aren't good enough. I have no idea if they have rules about how many people per sq ft in a house or not. We will have 7 people and 1 dog living under one roof. Hopefully the exchange company and Fenna will still be ok with this little change in family dynamics.
I don't see how it really changes much as far as normal daily life goes. Adding two more to our household won't impact Fenna's place in our family much. The biggest difference will be the baby-proofing that we've had to do around the house, and she will have to learn to keep her things away from the destructive curious toddler. Otherwise, she'll go to school, make friends, go fun places with us and fit right in. Actually, she might really enjoy having Lexie around; Lexie is pretty cool.
If I get some things done before she arrives, I won't be so nervous. Aside from calling YFU on Monday to report my changes, I need to: get new brakes on the van, shampoo the carpets (again), powerwash the patios, paint her room, clean out a couple of bathroom drawers for her to use, dust the ceiling and mop under the couch. I don't want her to arrive and say, "Oh no, I'm not living here!" in the same sort of way Gracie said, "No way! I'm not doing that!" at swimming lessons when her teacher told her to put her face in the water.
All nervousness aside, I really am looking forward to hosting Fenna. We will take her all sorts of fun places and explore Southern California as best we can. This is what we do anyway, the little girls and I venture out as much as we can. I get bored easily and I love to go out and play tourist, so we go to lots of different places and we're always looking for something new. I am used to taking the kids out on my own, so I'm not expecting her to be my new helper. I just think it will be lots of fun to have her join our big loud family. I hope it all works out well and she actually has time to study.
I think I'll go have a glass of wine and go scrub something. That will shake off my frazzled nerves.
Recently, our second daughter moved back home with her baby too. This house is always hopping!
When I volunteered our family to host an exchange student, there were only the four of us in the house. We had two bedrooms being used for storage and toys and guests, but they were available for someone to inhabit for a good long time. I had hoped beyond all hope that Lexie would come back home, but after two years, I sort of gave up. At 20 years old, she is more stubborn than ever and I felt like it just wasn't going to happen. We agreed that our family of four would grow to five by taking her as our exchange-student daughter. Yay!
Of course, after all of the arrangements were made and agreed upon to have Fenna move in with us, Lexie moves home. We certainly aren't going to turn Lexie away, but now our host family agreement is off kilter. I better inform the exchange student company who arranges all of the host student and family pairings. Our application to host reflects a family of four and we had a family interview where everyone who lives in the house had to be present. YFU also called our friends and neighbors and checked on our character and checked to see if we are criminals or anything. It wasn't until after those were approved that Lexie and Charlie moved back home. In fact, Lexie is still unloading things from her car. Now I'm feeling a little weird and wonder if I need to amend all of the applications and interview process and all of that. I'm pretty sure that the timing is too tight to make any changes, and I really don't want to mess up her exchange year by being suddenly denied as a host family.
I think we will still be a good family to host her. Even though there are now six of us instead of four. She will have her own bedroom and share a bathroom, those arrangements are the same. Although, we did decide to give her the main floor bedroom rather than an upstairs bedroom. She is actually getting a bigger room. But, the interviewer and the application required photos of her room and I submitted photos of a different bedroom.
We moved the little girls from the green bedroom upstairs to the pink room. They will share a bedroom just like they always have done. They get lonely, so they need to share. Lexie and Charlie are taking the green room, which was Lexie's room before. It is a bigger bedroom and will be better for the two of them. Charlie needs an upstairs room so that he can go to bed earlier than the rest of us and our noise won't be keeping him awake. The bedroom downstairs was their other option, but the house is too active down on the main floor for a sleeping baby. That's why Fenna gets the room downstairs and Lexie and Charlie are taking an upper floor room. It works out anyway you arrange it, Fenna would have her own room either up or down stairs.
Hopefully, YFU will be in favor of us moving her from an upstairs room to a downstairs room. I can send them photos if they want them. She'll have a bed, dresser, desk, chair, closet, window... all of the requirements from the company. They don't require that she has her own room, but they require that she has her own bed in a bedroom with a window that meets fire code. I guess we qualify for all of that. I just don't want them to think we are really flaky before she even arrives. Watch, they'll stick red flags on our family file. Egads! The difficult family! See how crazy nervous I am?
Why am I so nervous about being a good host family? Well... because! Someone with a pen and a clipboard is judging my momness! This girl is the daughter of one of my friends from high school. Fenna's mom was an exchange student and we were friends in 1983! How cool is that? So of course, I want to be Fenna's host family and I don't want YFU to tell me we aren't good enough. I have no idea if they have rules about how many people per sq ft in a house or not. We will have 7 people and 1 dog living under one roof. Hopefully the exchange company and Fenna will still be ok with this little change in family dynamics.
I don't see how it really changes much as far as normal daily life goes. Adding two more to our household won't impact Fenna's place in our family much. The biggest difference will be the baby-proofing that we've had to do around the house, and she will have to learn to keep her things away from the destructive curious toddler. Otherwise, she'll go to school, make friends, go fun places with us and fit right in. Actually, she might really enjoy having Lexie around; Lexie is pretty cool.
If I get some things done before she arrives, I won't be so nervous. Aside from calling YFU on Monday to report my changes, I need to: get new brakes on the van, shampoo the carpets (again), powerwash the patios, paint her room, clean out a couple of bathroom drawers for her to use, dust the ceiling and mop under the couch. I don't want her to arrive and say, "Oh no, I'm not living here!" in the same sort of way Gracie said, "No way! I'm not doing that!" at swimming lessons when her teacher told her to put her face in the water.
All nervousness aside, I really am looking forward to hosting Fenna. We will take her all sorts of fun places and explore Southern California as best we can. This is what we do anyway, the little girls and I venture out as much as we can. I get bored easily and I love to go out and play tourist, so we go to lots of different places and we're always looking for something new. I am used to taking the kids out on my own, so I'm not expecting her to be my new helper. I just think it will be lots of fun to have her join our big loud family. I hope it all works out well and she actually has time to study.
I think I'll go have a glass of wine and go scrub something. That will shake off my frazzled nerves.
Monday, July 18, 2011
And then there were Three!
Three Musketeers. Three Little Pigs. Three men in a tub. Three bears. Three Stooges. Three Amigos. Three wise men. Three Blind Mice. Three's Company.
Three runts living under my roof.
My 20 yr old daughter moved back home with her 10 month old son (who is now 11 mths). I just love having them here every day! This does change the family dynamics, and adds chaos, confusion and expense. Adding two people to the house also makes us all bump elbows once in a while. Isn't that what family is all about?
The conversation in the house now is consumed by sudden bursts of "No, Charlie! No!" Babyproofing had to be done in a fast and furious way. Gates are up, remotes are hidden, legos are packed away, bathroom door is shut, etc. There is always more babyproofing to do as he finds new things to take down and destroy.
The boy loves to destroy whatever he can get his hands on. He is fascinated with his super awesome pinching, pulling and yanking skills. He also has fantastic biting, drooling and chewing skills too. If there was a baby Olympics, he would bring home a lot of gold medals!
The kitchen lightswitches in this house are in the oddest place: Under the counter! I don't know who thought that was a great idea, but there isn't really a way to babyproof them. Charlie likes to make strobe light effects in the kitchen at all hours. So fun. And when he's in his high chair, he can flip the switches with his toes. He's uber cool like that!
Libby and Charlie are so close to the same size, they could be mistaken for twins. I suppose it would help if they looked more alike, but Charlie actually looks a lot more like Gracie than Libby. The three of them are like peas in a pod. They are pretty good buddies and the girls take care that Charlie is safe and not eating Barbie shoes or something. They love to feed him. So far, they are feeding him actual food and not Play-Doh or other bizarre things. I'm sure they'll get to that later.
With three little tornadoes in the house, I'm doing my best to be the one-man clean-up crew. So far, they are winning the war. Diapers, food, water paint, bath bubbles, toys, crayons, shoes, sprinklers, laundry, smears of jelly, hair tangles, wet swimsuits, and that describes any given normal ten minutes of our day.
Keith and Lexie are usually sleeping or at work. It's me against the triple tot twisters. The secret to wearing them out and keeping them happy while letting the dust settle in the house is to ignore the pile of sippy cups in the sink and get out and go!
Three runts living under my roof.
My 20 yr old daughter moved back home with her 10 month old son (who is now 11 mths). I just love having them here every day! This does change the family dynamics, and adds chaos, confusion and expense. Adding two people to the house also makes us all bump elbows once in a while. Isn't that what family is all about?
The conversation in the house now is consumed by sudden bursts of "No, Charlie! No!" Babyproofing had to be done in a fast and furious way. Gates are up, remotes are hidden, legos are packed away, bathroom door is shut, etc. There is always more babyproofing to do as he finds new things to take down and destroy.
The boy loves to destroy whatever he can get his hands on. He is fascinated with his super awesome pinching, pulling and yanking skills. He also has fantastic biting, drooling and chewing skills too. If there was a baby Olympics, he would bring home a lot of gold medals!
The kitchen lightswitches in this house are in the oddest place: Under the counter! I don't know who thought that was a great idea, but there isn't really a way to babyproof them. Charlie likes to make strobe light effects in the kitchen at all hours. So fun. And when he's in his high chair, he can flip the switches with his toes. He's uber cool like that!
Libby and Charlie are so close to the same size, they could be mistaken for twins. I suppose it would help if they looked more alike, but Charlie actually looks a lot more like Gracie than Libby. The three of them are like peas in a pod. They are pretty good buddies and the girls take care that Charlie is safe and not eating Barbie shoes or something. They love to feed him. So far, they are feeding him actual food and not Play-Doh or other bizarre things. I'm sure they'll get to that later.
With three little tornadoes in the house, I'm doing my best to be the one-man clean-up crew. So far, they are winning the war. Diapers, food, water paint, bath bubbles, toys, crayons, shoes, sprinklers, laundry, smears of jelly, hair tangles, wet swimsuits, and that describes any given normal ten minutes of our day.
Keith and Lexie are usually sleeping or at work. It's me against the triple tot twisters. The secret to wearing them out and keeping them happy while letting the dust settle in the house is to ignore the pile of sippy cups in the sink and get out and go!
Monday, July 4, 2011
The 4th of July - First Real Parade
Happy 4th! I corrected a lot of my parenting wrongs today. My child is 5 years old and has no idea how to celebrate the 4th of July. Whoa, how did I manage to let that happen? I decided to fix my errors and introduce the little ones to some good old fashioned Independence Day celebrations.
I realized that I've never taken my girls to a parade. A real parade. They've only seen parades at Disneyland, and while those parades are awesome, they aren't the real street parade that everyone knows. My girls should experience the real deal and catch some candy from a float made of chicken wire and napkins, see the marching band walking in crooked rows, and see the big red fire engine at the end. It's an all-American childhood kind of thing that every kid should do!
The parade was at 10am, so we had plenty of time to wake up leisurely and get across town for the parade. We got there at 9:30 and parking was looking bleak. I followed the line of traffic and people were filling in a Wells Fargo parking lot a couple of blocks from the parade route. Not bad. We parked and walked to main street. Luckily, there was a shady spot just waiting for us right at the end of the street. Score!
We had a about 15 minutes before the parade start time, and who knows if they start on time. It isn't Disneyland! Plus, we were at the end of the route, we might waiting half an hour. We noticed all of the red, white and blue that people were wearing. It was fun to people-watch with the girls. Libby saw three little girls wearing "Ponyo dresses" and she was wishing that she would have worn hers. They were cute, but those little girls were sweating like crazy in those red satin dresses and I'm glad Libby didn't wear hers. It was way too hot out for satin!
By the way, a "Ponyo Dress" is a red dress with white trim. Libby has a Christmas dress that looks just like the dress worn by the little girl in the movie "Ponyo". It's a little Japanese anime movie that is super cute. We love the movie. It's sort of an environmentalist's version of "Little Mermaid".
Just before 10am, I sensed that everyone behind us in the shade was going to move around us and sit in front of the girls. So, we moved up to the curb and sat in the sun for a bit. Gracie sat in the stroller with the shade over her head and Libby sat in the shade of the stroller. Even in our make-shift shade though, it was still awfully hot. 97 degrees, but it felt like a lot more in the sun on the concrete.
The parade started on time and it didn't take long for the police vehicles to reach our end of the street. The girls loved the cop cars and motorcycles! They even loved the cops on horses! They were first, and after that, the girls didn't think much of any of the parade entries. They were very disappointed.
There were lots of pageant princesses, but they were just girls with crowns on their heads riding in cars. Car after car of them. A few walked, one in high heels! Poor girl. There were cars with politicians waving. Not impressive to a couple of little girls who don't give a hoot about who sits on the city commission.
There must have been three or four clusters of Boy Scouts walking. And a couple of Moms groups pushing strollers and pulling wagons. We waved, but Gracie and Libby were more than tired of these not so exciting parade entries. Where's the good stuff? Where are the floats?
Some soldiers! Yes! Now that's exciting! A big vehicle pulling a tank went by and the "Young Marines" walked by holding up a huge flag. We all clapped and cheered for them along with the crowd.
And then a semi-truck with a flatbed came along. That was exciting too. Guess who was on the flatbed, yup, more pageant princesses. How many girls are in those crazy pageants anyway?
After an hour, no marching bands had gone by and nobody threw candy. The girls were hot and bored. This wasn't at all as good as a Disneyland parade and they let me know it. I dare say, I've raised opinionated little girls. And they sure aren't shy expressing their criticism to their captive audience: me. They begged to leave. We are at a 4th of July parade and you want to leave before the end? I blamed the heat and agreed to start hiking back to the parking lot and prayed the whole way that my van wasn't hauled off by the tow truck pirates.
Whew! It's still there! We drove up the street and there was a great All-American dream come true - I know the girls will love this! I pulled into In-N-Out and ordered burgers, fries and pink lemonade. We came home and enjoyed our 4th of July treat! Ah, saved the day!
I realized that I've never taken my girls to a parade. A real parade. They've only seen parades at Disneyland, and while those parades are awesome, they aren't the real street parade that everyone knows. My girls should experience the real deal and catch some candy from a float made of chicken wire and napkins, see the marching band walking in crooked rows, and see the big red fire engine at the end. It's an all-American childhood kind of thing that every kid should do!
The parade was at 10am, so we had plenty of time to wake up leisurely and get across town for the parade. We got there at 9:30 and parking was looking bleak. I followed the line of traffic and people were filling in a Wells Fargo parking lot a couple of blocks from the parade route. Not bad. We parked and walked to main street. Luckily, there was a shady spot just waiting for us right at the end of the street. Score!
We had a about 15 minutes before the parade start time, and who knows if they start on time. It isn't Disneyland! Plus, we were at the end of the route, we might waiting half an hour. We noticed all of the red, white and blue that people were wearing. It was fun to people-watch with the girls. Libby saw three little girls wearing "Ponyo dresses" and she was wishing that she would have worn hers. They were cute, but those little girls were sweating like crazy in those red satin dresses and I'm glad Libby didn't wear hers. It was way too hot out for satin!
By the way, a "Ponyo Dress" is a red dress with white trim. Libby has a Christmas dress that looks just like the dress worn by the little girl in the movie "Ponyo". It's a little Japanese anime movie that is super cute. We love the movie. It's sort of an environmentalist's version of "Little Mermaid".
Just before 10am, I sensed that everyone behind us in the shade was going to move around us and sit in front of the girls. So, we moved up to the curb and sat in the sun for a bit. Gracie sat in the stroller with the shade over her head and Libby sat in the shade of the stroller. Even in our make-shift shade though, it was still awfully hot. 97 degrees, but it felt like a lot more in the sun on the concrete.
The parade started on time and it didn't take long for the police vehicles to reach our end of the street. The girls loved the cop cars and motorcycles! They even loved the cops on horses! They were first, and after that, the girls didn't think much of any of the parade entries. They were very disappointed.
There were lots of pageant princesses, but they were just girls with crowns on their heads riding in cars. Car after car of them. A few walked, one in high heels! Poor girl. There were cars with politicians waving. Not impressive to a couple of little girls who don't give a hoot about who sits on the city commission.
There must have been three or four clusters of Boy Scouts walking. And a couple of Moms groups pushing strollers and pulling wagons. We waved, but Gracie and Libby were more than tired of these not so exciting parade entries. Where's the good stuff? Where are the floats?
Some soldiers! Yes! Now that's exciting! A big vehicle pulling a tank went by and the "Young Marines" walked by holding up a huge flag. We all clapped and cheered for them along with the crowd.
And then a semi-truck with a flatbed came along. That was exciting too. Guess who was on the flatbed, yup, more pageant princesses. How many girls are in those crazy pageants anyway?
After an hour, no marching bands had gone by and nobody threw candy. The girls were hot and bored. This wasn't at all as good as a Disneyland parade and they let me know it. I dare say, I've raised opinionated little girls. And they sure aren't shy expressing their criticism to their captive audience: me. They begged to leave. We are at a 4th of July parade and you want to leave before the end? I blamed the heat and agreed to start hiking back to the parking lot and prayed the whole way that my van wasn't hauled off by the tow truck pirates.
Whew! It's still there! We drove up the street and there was a great All-American dream come true - I know the girls will love this! I pulled into In-N-Out and ordered burgers, fries and pink lemonade. We came home and enjoyed our 4th of July treat! Ah, saved the day!
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