But that's how old he is!

TK got Z-man dressed this morning. When I saw Z-man, I said, "Wow, that shirt is really small!" The arms of the shirt were nearly up to his elbows and it was straining across his tummy. I mean, it was a REALLY small shirt.

"I know," said TK. "But I checked, and it's size 18 months."

I try not to ever complain when TK helps out with the kids, but sometimes I can't help teasing, and this is one of those times. I don't know if it's his overly literal engineering personality, but this is just so TK, to say, "Hmmm, it doesn't look like this shirt fits. However, clothing size=18m, child age=18m, therefore shirt must fit child."

He's so cute! I'm just so tickled!

He's always a surprise!

TK and I have been married 13 years, and together almost 18 years. But sometimes, he's still a mystery to me.

TK is an engineer, and well, for good reason engineers are not known for their fashion sense. To be honest, TK isn't bad--he irons his clothes, he tries to make sure they match, he dresses generally appropriately. He work attire is casual to business casual, so most days he's in khakis and a collared shirt. But this week he has a big presentation. He asked for my help to pick clothes.

He'd pulled out a tie and said that was what he wanted to wear. I reminded him last time he had a presentation that we'd determined he didn't have any shirts that would look good with the tie. His answer: "well that was in the winter. One of my short-sleeved shirts might work with it."

I was literally speechless for a good minute. Then I said, "You can't wear a tie with a short-sleeved shirt."

"Why not?" he asked. "It's hot out. What do you think people wear?"

"Long sleeved shirts."

"No," he insisted. I was forced to inform him that short-sleeved buttondown shirts are pretty geeky, but I let it go because 1) it's cute-geeky, and he pulls it off, and 2) it's pretty appropriate in engineering circles, or at least the engineering circles he runs in. But a short-sleeved buttondown with a tie was just too geeky. I couldn't let it go.

He wouldn't believe me. Convinced he was right, he said, "I'm checking online."

I wasn't worried one bit. Five minutes later he came back and said, "Okay, I'm convinced."

And he let me pick out a nice long sleeved shirt and tie.

I'm not super fashionable, but I could run a service for engineers to keep them at the engineering-geek level of attire rather than letting them flounder into the total-geek realm.

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Green tip for the day: Speaking of fashion, keep "green" in mind when shopping for clothes. Some ideas:

1. Buy clothes to last. Don't buy new clothes every season, even if you can afford it.
2. Look for eco-friendly and/or organic materials.
3. Pass your used clothes along: to friends or family, to a consignment store, to a charity, via freecycle or craigslist.
4. How crafty are you? Turn damaged or stained clothes into something new. Or just use them as rags.
5. Consider buying used clothes from a consignment store or place like Goodwill.

Any clothing-related green tips to share?

Food Inc update

In the past, TK has more endured than appreciated my efforts to change the way we eat. While he was generally supportive, there's been some eye-rolling and some comments that perhaps I was falling victim to propaganda. When he found out I snuck Food, Inc. to the top of our Netflix queue, he wasn't exactly overjoyed, though he did agree to watch it with me.

The next day, he came home from work and I asked what he'd had for lunch (there's an awesome cafeteria where he works). He had eggplant parmesan. Yum, I said. One of the other choices was pot roast, he admitted. That sounds even better than eggplant, I said. Yeah, but I kind of felt like I needed to eat vegetarian, he answered.

The Omnivore's Dilemma is now on his nightstand. He brought leftover bean soup for lunch today. I'm honestly shocked. I'd kind of resigned myself that he would never be really on board with trying to eat local and/or organic food. I'm pretty excited that he's becoming more aware of the problems with the food system.

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Green tip for the day: Can I recommend Food, Inc. again? Anyone who has seen it, I'd love to hear your opinion!

She Giveth, He Taketh Away

I took Z-man out grocery shopping yesterday, and the cashier was talking to me as she rung up my purchases. She asked if Z-man was my first, and when I told her he was my third, she looked shocked and said, "Wow, you look so young to have three!"

I'm not. I'm 34. But it was nice of her to say!

So I came home and told TK. He asked, "how old was she?" I told him she was a grandmother herself, so probably around 60. He said, "yeah, well you know how once you're older, you can't judge younger people's ages anymore."

Oh. I guess that was TK's way of saying that I *do* look my age. Good thing I'm not overly vain or worried about looking young!

So THAT'S my problem with the giant burning ball of horror in the sky!

I think I've avoided mentioning on my blog one of the many, many things that I know are crazy about me.

I don't like the sun.

I mean, I'm pro-sun in general. You know, life-giving energy and all. I don't want to build a giant underground complex or anything.

It's just, given a choice, I prefer overcast fall days to just about anything else. Grey, cloudy, 55 degrees is my idea of weather-perfection.

Anyone living in New England knows that this has been an ideal summer for me. How's the weather been? Cool. Rainy. WONDERFUL!

Though I must admit, I was feeling bad for the boys. Kids need summers to run around and play in the sandbox and go in the kiddie pool. We weren't getting to do any of that, so I'm glad the weather has finally improved.

We took them yesterday to a 4th of July carnival in a neighboring town (our lame town doesn't do anything for the Fourth!) Being a solar-phobic, I of course made sure we were all coated in sunscreen. And we were only out for about two and a half hours before my poor pregnant body just needed some air conditioning time to recoup.

We got home and you know what? I got a slight sunburn! I mean, not bad. In fact, it's already faded today to some new freckles on my arms. The stinging has subsided and the redness is gone. But still! I was hardly out very long! And I was wearing sunscreen! I wasn't in the water, and it wasn't so hot that I was sweating excessively. There was no reason my sunscreen should have given up the fight in less than 3 hours.

So I said to TK, "It's because the sunscreen is only SPF 30*".

He answered, "Really? I think it's because you almost entirely lack melanin in your skin."

Yeah, he's probably right.

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* Sunscreen issue of the day: We've been using Baby Lizard sunscreen. I love it! It's chemical- and fragrance-free, goes on smoothly and evenly, and doesn't leave you feeling sticky. My only issue is that it's only available as 30 SPF. Oh, it's pretty darn expensive, too, but I feel it's worth the added cost so I'm not going to complain about that.

But clearly, as yesterday proved, it's not quite as effective as I might desire. Does anyone have a sunscreen they love (preferably one not filled with chemicals)?

A Potty Post

Yep, here it is, the ol' standard of a mommy blog. I'm feeling a little mommy-blogger-y today.

What I really need is advice. See, my boys have just started to pee standing up. Exciting, right? Ha, everyone with boys knows it's not exciting...it's messy!

So my question is: is it fair to require TK to wipe up the disaster of misses every night since it's his Y chromosomes that are causing this "pee standing up" mess? I feel like since *I* contributed the X chromosome, which everyone knows is the "pee neatly sitting down" chromosome, I should be excused from the endless cleaning of the 5 foot area surrounding the potty...

Easter stories

Heard in the Card house yesterday: "What does a Peep taste like?"

The remarkable thing about that comment was that it wasn't asked by one of the children, but by TK. How do you make it to your mid-30's without ever having Peeps? Don't worry, I made sure he tried a Peep. Final call: Eh. I agree with that assessment, which is why we've never had Peeps in the house any previous Easter.

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Earlier in the week, the boys' preschool class had discussed what they hoped to get in their Easter baskets. B-man came home so excited about it! He actually didn't know what he hoped to get, but was amused to report that one of the boys in the class "wants an EYE-POD!" B-man kept saying it like that, with the I part really drawn out. Then he'd crack up like it was the funniest thing ever. I finally asked him after the fourth or fifth time he told the story if he even knew what an ipod is. We don't have one! He thought for a minute, then admitted he didn't. I'm guessing the teachers must have cracked up at this little 4 year old who hopes for an ipod for Easter. Hey, that would have been nice. I would have liked an ipod, too! The Apple Easter Bunny didn't make a stop at our house, though.

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We had a candy-free Easter (well, except the Peeps I bought for dessert) since it's so hard to find nut-free chocolate or jelly beans. It went over pretty well, I thought. But for the Easter eggs we hid, I was a little sad not to put those foil chocolate eggs inside. Instead, we put coins in each one. N-man loves change. Putting money in his piggy bank is one of his favorite things to do. Every time he found an egg, he'd run over to us and tell us excitedly, with a huge smile, "there's money in this one, too!" It was excellent, and so fun. Made me feel just fine about not having little treats in the eggs.

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Hope you all had a nice weekend!

It's a...., plus silly stories

We had our Level II ultrasound yesterday and we're expecting another BOY! Boy oh boy oh boy, I'm so excited to have a house full of little guys! I think I'm biased as N-man and B-man are so awesome that I can't imagine not wanting another little boy. I'm sure a girl would have been fine, too, though I would have been far more scared. I feel a little badly as TK always wanted a girl, but oh well, he's happy with a boy, too. And we're done after this little guy! So three boys it is (and I've never even seen the TV show My Three Sons!)

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B-man is the only one in the house disappointed with the little brother situation. When I told him, he said, "but I want a little SISTER!" I explained we don't get to pick, and he said that he wants FOUR kids in the family. Keep wishing, big guy!

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Unrelated to the new little guy, N-man told us the other night that he wants a dog. TK explained that he's allergic to dogs. N-man then said, completely unconcerned, "Daddy, can you leave?" We cracked up! TK asked where he should live instead, and N-man said he should just stay at work. Hmmm, it's not much of a confidence builder if your kid ranks you right below getting a dog!

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In another unrelated story, TK got N-man dressed the other morning, and put him in a pair of truck underwear. Now, most of the boys' undies are communal, but they each have one set Grandma and Grandpa got them that is THEIRS. N-man has doggies, B-man has trucks. Well, obviously N-man wasn't paying attention when TK put on his undies that morning!

The boys went to school, and when they came home, N-man had to use the bathroom. He was sitting on the potty, when all of a sudden, B-man runs in, horrified. "Are those MY truck undies?" he asked indignantly.

N-man looked down, and just as horrified, ripped the clothes off his body to get the offending B-man underwear off.

So I told him I'd run upstairs to get him a different pair of undies. I ran up, got new ones, and when I got back down, B-man was naked, pulling on the truck undies N-man had worn all morning. I don't know why, but that simultaneously cracked me up and grossed me out.

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More book recs coming soon! Just had to get all this random randomness out!

Meat with a side of meat, and back to the house hunt

I'm not big into the "oh men, are sooo different than women" thing. Except sometimes they are.

Like when they grill.

I wasn't feeling well this weekend, and it was beautiful out, so TK said he'd grill. Perfect. He even took the kids to the grocery store to buy something. Here's what he got: lamb kabobs, teriyaki chicken, and hot dogs.

What? Have I ever made meatloaf with a side of chicken cordon bleu and some pork chops?

And it's not just TK. I've never met a guy who grilled who didn't do this. It makes me giggle. And it makes me glad I'm not a vegetarian, or else I'd never eat when he grills!

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We went to some open houses yesterday, checking out some towns we haven't looked at much. It was funny, because the three towns we looked in really spanned the total picture of available housing. We really have to decide what we're looking for!

First, we went to the town "next door". It's very similar to where we live now, but with slightly better schools, and slightly higher home prices. Otherwise, it's very similar to where we live now, and could we certainly afford to upgrade to a nothing-special, nothing-terrible 4 bedroom house. The commute for TK would be similar to what it is now, and the traffic congestion, medium sized lots, and convenience to shopping would be quite similar to what we have now.

Then, we went to one of the upscale, hoity-toity towns very close to where TK works. When we first looked at houses seven years ago, we couldn't afford anything in these towns close to TK's office. Now, we can. But, we'd essentially have to downsize from our current house, facing all the same problems we have now with lack of storage space, plus we'd have to give up our nice kitchen. We also can't afford the "neighborhood" areas in these towns, so we'd be on busier roads. On the plus side, great schools, and extreme convenience of location. However, I think we're about ready to throw in the towel on these towns. While I think good schools are important, I don't think it's worth paying *that* much more for a house, or for giving up things like closet space or a nice yard.

Last, we went to a "way the heck out there" town, further than any other town we've looked at, and at least a 45 minute commute for TK. I believe the directions to get there were "go to the middle of nowhere, make a left, and keep driving". We LOVED it out there...it was so beautiful and idyllic. And the house! First, it was $25k less than any of the other houses we saw. And, it was literally TWICE as big as the house in the hoity-toity neighborhood, with a lot nearly three times as large. In fact, the house was really too big. It was in a beautiful neighborhood, with good schools. I think it was really too far away, though. And there's not much out that way. But boy, what an eye-opener! TK has plenty of co-workers who live out that far (and even farther!), but I just don't know if it's worth it for us.

It's hard, because I think we want to live in the country, but we're close enough to Boston that really, our only choices are degrees of suburb-ness. The less typical suburban setting we get, the further the commute is for TK. And a long commute is a total quality-of-life killer (not to mention the cringe-worthy environmental impact!) Who knows. I guess we'll just keep looking in a variety of areas, and wherever we find a house we like that happens to coincide with when our own house sells, I guess that's where we're meant to live!

What's most important to you in choosing an area to live?

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More book recs coming soon!

Not Much to Report

It's a nice day today. TK is home, so we've been busy. Then he gave me an hour or so to write. A fun day. I almost forgot to post a blog entry, though!

I made some crispy duck breast with Bok Choy and fried rice for dinner. I thought it was yummy. TK thought it was yummy. B-man didn't eat a bite. N-man liked the duck, but he wouldn't try the bok choy. He said, and I quote, "I don't like to eat grass."

Hmm, bok choy doesn't look much like grass to me. I suspect he's never going to be a vegetarian!

We went to a used book store today, and I got a whole slew of new books to tempt me away from the novel I'm *supposed* to be writing. I'll have to pace myself. I just started Reefer Madness.

Okay, that's it. I really do need to get back to writing. I've only written about 1,500 words today, and I'd really like to hit at least 2k. Of course, tomorrow should be a good day (knock wood) with the boys in preschool in the morning and a write-in in the evening. But I'm still trying not to slack off today. I don't want to be playing catch-up tomorrow!

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Current NaNo Word Count: 24,371...almost half-way there!

Current NaNo Attitude: Getting hit by the "this is so terrible!"'s. Trying to power through them. I'd rather have a terrible novel finished at the end of the month, than no novel finished! I'm also wishing I could have talked a friend into this crazy journey. It'd be fun to have someone along for the ride. Oh well...

Lazy Sunday

We're having a lazy Sunday here in the House of Cards. TK played some piano while the kids and I sang and danced around the house. We did a bunch of puzzles, we colored, we made some butterscotch pudding.

Most weekends we're running around like crazy, trying to make it to different places and fit in different errands. It's kind of nice having a day to do nothing. The boys are now playing quietly together (I know, small miracle!), and TK has fallen asleep on the couch. And I'm blogging.

Will the excitement never stop??

I don't know about you, but it's days like these that are special, when we have time to slow down and just be instead of do.

Of course, B-man just complained, "Mommmmm, we're not doing ANYTHING!"

So perhaps I better get on my cruise director hat and switch to "doing" mode!
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Michael Chabon is quite possibly the greatest author ever. I should give him his very own label on my blog, since I'm clearly in love with him. I'm reading The Mysteries of Pittsburgh for my book group, and it's so incredibly well-written that I could almost cry. The story is good so far, though no Kavalier and Klay, but the actual writing is such a treat.

I was talking to TK, who argued that you shouldn't notice how well-written something is...that it shouldn't be a distraction. And I agree to a certain extent. I don't like writing where the author is clearly trying too hard to write LITERATURE. You know what I mean, right? Chabon's prose isn't flashy, though it does tend to draw me out of the story sometimes just to marvel at how perfect it is.

What do you think? Any opinions about distractingly well-written novels? Is that a problem? The only other author who has routinely made me stop reading to actually notice his writing is Kurt Vonnegut.
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Current NaNo word count: 18,526

Current NaNo attitude: Chugging away, hoping to cross 20k today! I finished one major section of my book yesterday, which was kind of exciting, though I'm feeling the slow down of new characters/world building required in a new setting.

He's a card, too

A few nights ago, we had a rough time getting the boys to clean up before bed. They just seemed to be EVERYWHERE all at once, and even with TK and I both watching them and trying to help them clean up their toys, there was still mass chaos. Finally, though, we got things reasonably neatened, took the boys up to bed, and got them to sleep.

TK and I went downstairs and I started puttering in the kitchen. TK went into the bathroom, and a second later, called to me, "Honey, you better come here. We have a pest problem in the bathroom."

Oh crap. We had carpenter ants in our bathroom last year and it was disgusting, annoying, and a big ol' pain. So I went into the bathroom. As I got there, TK said, "our bathroom has been invaded by dinosaurs."

Sure enough, sometime during clean up, one (or both?) of the boys had snuck in and lined up about 25 toy dinosaurs along the sink and tub.

So if anyone know a good dinosaur-control expert, please let us know. We'd like to get our bathroom back one day, but don't want to risk annoying those tiny-ranosauruses.