Friday, January 30, 2009

Mommy Wisdom 1-30-09

1. If you keep your baby's diaper rash cream in the bathroom, make sure you warn any guests that Desitin is not toothpaste, even though it has most of the same letters as "dentist."

2. Never assume that your children (of any age) realize that they cannot actually walk on air.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Mommy Wisdom 1-29-09

1. Always coordinate spaghetti night with bath night.

2. If you sing often and randomly, your children will also start to burst spontaneously into original songs, as if they're living in a musical. This is highly amusing and worth it.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Snow Day Fun

I'd like you to meet Captain Awesome and Super Flame Boy.


What? Did you expect pictures of snow or something? ;)

Saturday, January 24, 2009

And the winner is...

Kate, for "Hiccup-Stopping Pantoum!" I like how she tied the "shocking regularity" in at the beginning and end, and that she chose not to do any traditional rhyming, but used repetition instead to hold the poem together. And hey, it's about a guy who can stop the hiccups! That's a pretty cool power! Kate, please E-mail me your address so I can mail your prize! Thanks for participating!

Thanks also to my husband and dad for playing! Justin, I love your poem and you're my very own personal Captain Awesome. My dad gets big props for his creative rhymes like, "napalm, qualm, psalm" and "balm." My rhymes like "drive" with "alive" just don't compare. My dad's limerick was also a big contender simply because he used the word "ballyhooed." I used the word "poop" in my poem. ;)

This was fun and I hope to do it again in the future and hope that more people will play along!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Third Contest Submission

Actually, three submissions in one! By David (my dad) who is a college level English professor.

Haiku
Superpowered Dad
Soothes fears and fends off panic
Leaving calm behind

Limerick
There once was a PopPop called Dude
Whose powers were much ballyhooed
He’d fix and he’d calm
He’d apply easing balm
And all sorts of troubles he’d soothe

Villanelle
PopPop’s power is to calm
the fears and nerves that jangle life
and ease all troubles with a healing balm

When fears leave sweat upon your palm;
And your heart knows only strife
PopPop’s power is to calm

If decisions leave you filled with qualm
Seek out PopPop’s sound advice
and ease all troubles with a healing balm

When your heart burns like hot napalm
Over troubles with a spouse or wife
PopPop’s power is to calm

He tells a story like a psalm
Suggesting ways to guide your life
and ease all troubles with a healing balm

So when fate leaves you with deep qualm
Remember that to soothe your life
PopPop’s power is to calm
and ease all troubles with a healing balm

English teacher note: Villanelle: 19 lines of any length divided into six stanzas: 5 tercets and a concluding quatrain. Lines 1-6-12-18 are the same, as are lines 3-9-15-19; rhyme scheme aba in tercets, abaa in concluding quatrain. (Who thinks up this stuff????)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Second Contest Submission

Hiccup-Stopping Pantoum
By Kate

"With shocking regularity
each hiccup trips and trifles,
and wouldn't you know
you're fixated on each agitation,

each hiccup that trips and trifles,
and it perplexes me,
your fixation on each agitation.
Relax, I've said. Take your time.

It perplexes me, so I say
put your heart back in your chest and
relax. I've said take your time,
but you're gasping, trying to

put your head in your chest, so
suddenly I'm all sobriety and steady stature,
and you gasp, trying to
see why each time this works, when

I'm all sobriety and steady stature,
and wouldn't you know,
each time this works,
with shocking regularity."

And the background info:
"This is actually about my husband's super power, which is the uncany ability
to cure me (and only me) from hiccups. This is accomplished with a dead-pan
stare that creeps me out - very unlike his usual demeanor. I hope someone
else's super power counts."

Thanks for indulging me and playing, Kate!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Inauguration Day

Actual politics aside, no one is denying that today my kids saw history happen. This was the first inauguration that either of them has been around for, and I am excited that they will grow up never knowing a United States that had only elected Caucasian men to its highest office. I tried to base my vote on politics alone, and I won't get into the actual politics here, but I do want to say that I am proud that my country is now in a place where we *can* elect a Black man to the presidency. I am hopeful that my kids will be surprised when they learn of the significance of today, because they've grown up seeing all types of people doing all types of jobs.

When Justin got home from work, he asked Alexander what he did today. Alexander said, "I watched Barack Obama become president. He's an old man. He made some promises." Well, I don't know what's up with the "old" part, but I guess to a three year old, most people are old. I guess my kids might someday want to know what they were up to on this historic day, so I snapped a few pictures of them watching the inauguration.

Monday, January 19, 2009

First Snow

Today we had the first real snow of the season and Alexander was excited to get out and play in it. Me, too! I love snow. Jack was mostly ticked off that his hands had to be inside his bunting, but he did have a few minutes of fun. I took him back in after about 15 minutes, but Alexander stayed in the backyard and played for about another 45 minutes by himself while I cooked dinner and watched him from the kitchen. He loved it. I hope we get a couple of real good snows before winter is over! ;)

And, of course, you may have noticed that I like to reminisce and compare, so here are some pictures of us enjoying the first snowfall of last winter, back at our old rental place. Obviously Jack has changed the most, but I don't see much of that baby face on Alexander any more that he was still holding onto a year ago, although he does still fit in the same coat!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Yes, it IS difficult to learn language!

Today, as Alexander was wiping the counter with a kitchen sponge, I caught him wiping his face with the sponge instead. Ew! I've told him before that one should not do that.

Me: Alexander, don't wipe your face with the sponge. That's gross.
Alexander: Because it has Germans on it?

Saturday, January 17, 2009

First Contest Submission

Remember, the winner will be partly based on reader comments, so if you like this, give my hubby some props!

"Captain Awesome" by Justin Chiang

I'm Captain Awesome, just ask my son...
When he wants to fly? I'm the one that gets it done…
Something wrong with your computer? I'll be your tutor…
There's nothing I can't fix with my fingertips.
You've got x-ray vision? How bout precision...
I'm meticulous and neat... and make decisions.
Working nine to five… and then some
Come home late and turn right back on
Hey I'm a provider... a professional geek
What's that in my left arm? Groceries for the week
A car... a bike... a roof... some clothes...
Money in the bank... toys in droves...
In my right arm… one that calls me Dad
One hug from me takes away the sad
I can talk to computers… and read you stories...
I can make you laugh and take away your worries…
I can change a diaper and make oatmeal too…
I can be a planet hero or an animal from the zoo…
and if you’re ever stuck and you don’t know what to do?
I can be your Dad right there to guide you…

Friday, January 16, 2009

Contest!

Alright, so fodder for the blog has been a bit lacking lately. So, I've decided to start a contest to liven things up! It's simple. Write a poem, essay, or short story about your superpowers, or why you're better than a superhero. Email it to me at BethaChiang@comcast.net. Submit your entry by 8:00PM Friday January 23rd. The winner will receive a $10 gift card (based on who wins, I'll choose an appropriate place.) I'll post all the entries and the winner will be based on reader comments and whatever else floats my boat. Hey, I'm the blog owner. I can do things how I want! I want everyone to participate should you have the time and inclination, but I'm especially interested in what my writer friends and family can come up with. Justin, Dad, Matt, Mara, that means you! If no one participates, I'm taking myself out to lunch! ;)

I'm not the best, and I came up with this with my two kids underfoot this morning. I bet you can do better! I hope that my dad and Mara will refrain from judging me based on proper form, meter, and whatnot. You grammar geeks, you! Oh, and the two of you are also especially well-equipped for this challenge given your comic obsessions ("Hobbies," "obsessions." Semantics.)

"Hello, my name is Supermom
and I'm not just cool; I am the bomb!
I have real super powers and you'll soon see
Spider Man's got nothing on me!
Sure, he can scale walls and he fends off doom
but can he grow people in his womb?
He's caught a few bad guys for the police to arrest.
I make the perfect food right in my breast.
I know the words to a thousand songs
and I've taught my kids to sing along.
They don't even care if I sing off tune!
Beat that, Green Lantern! You're just a cartoon.
I can function on minimal sleep,
though they say you go crazy if you don't get to dream.
I can cook, I can clean, I can sew, I can drive,
though sometimes it's impressive that I keep us alive.
So you have super strength; so you're able to fly,
I'd like to see you quiet a kid asking, "Why?"
"Why do I have to learn how to write?
You can't make me stay in my bed tonight!"
I teach potty training and numbers and letters.
Yeah, you're a superhero, but can you do something better?
And last is my greatest power to tell:
I know the consistency of kids' poop based on smell!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

just a quick quote

Alexander: "Mommy, can I have a piggy bank ride?"

(Not a typo!)

Friday, January 2, 2009

ALEXANDER

My poor Alexander has such a long name that he still can't spell his own whole name. ;) Poor baby, right? :D He can spell, "PopPop," "Mommy," "Daddy," and most of the time, "Jack" and "Xander." He can, however, write his whole name, when reminded of all the letters. Most of the time, though, he'll write it and then "color it in" or something, so I never get a good sample of his writing to save for posterity. Yesterday I pretty much stole this paper away from him before he could do anything else to it! He really wanted to add a drawing of himself, so I made a box for him and told him he was only allowed to draw inside the box! I am so cramping his style!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a happy, safe, and prosperous new year!

And now, a tidbit from last night. The last bedtime story had been read, the lights turned out, and the bedroom door closed.

Alexander: MOMMY!

Justin opened the door. "What? Why did you yell?"

Alexander: Because I do it every night.

Hmmm... true. And yet...