Even my cooking is due to my control freakiness?

I came across the following quote in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver:

A lot of human hobbies, from knitting sweaters to building model airplanes, are probably rooted in the same human desire to control an entire process of manufacturing.

She's actually talking about cooking, and I realized she's right, at least for me. That is a good part of the draw for me. I must control everything. And cooking is a great venue where I have at least a veneer of control.

Random related thought: I'm thinking of signing up for a class to learn how to make cheese. I'm going to give myself a few days to think about it first, to make sure it's something I'll really want to do. I am obsessed with eating cheese, so it'd only be natural, given my established control freak tendencies, that I'd eventually try to make it myself.

A glimmer of hope via...yogurt?

It all started back when they were infants, and I was making all the boys' baby food. B-man didn't really like any of it. Okay, I'm fine with that...it's great for kids to develop their own palates. Well, one day I gave them a jar of baby food instead of homemade. It was peas. B-man loved it.

And so the stage was set for the past two years. Anything delicious, B-man (and often N-man, too) turn their noses up. Inferior versions of the same food, they chow down.

But now I finally see a glimmer of hope. And oddly, yogurt is the cause of this happiness. See, the other day I got some neat Horizon yogurt tubes. I wanted B-man to eat some yogurt to help counteract the effects of the antibiotics he is taking, and this seemed like a fun treat. Well, boy oh boy, did it go over great! They ate the whole box as quick as I would let them, along with a little help from TK.

The next time I went shopping, I had to go to Stop and Shop to pick up some prescriptions. Anyone who shops at S & S knows it's not great source of organic choices. I mean, you do okay if you search, but needless to say, they didn't have the Horizon yogurt tubes. But I really wanted the yogurt, as I was there picking up yet another antibiotic prescription. My only choice was something by Yoplait, with Scooby Doo plastered on the front. At least they had the good graces not to call it yogurt. It was "Rogurt". And the flavors? Again, we got some nondescript names that at least didn't pretend to be actual fruit flavors. Shaggy's Like Cool Punch and 'Rawberry. I guess "Red-dyed High Fructose Corn Syrup and Artificial Flavoring" was too long a name to fit on the tube.

I was betting the boys would love it. And when I saw the day-glo colors after opening the first tube, I figured my days of them eating the healthier, more appetizing Horizon brand with flavors like blueberry and strawberry were coming to a screeching halt.

But then, wonder of wonders, they both took a bite or two and put it aside. B-man asked for the other kind of yogurt. It was my proudest moment. They made a food choice with which I can agree! Hurrah!

Maybe one day they'll be eating bagels with hummus, instead of "plain, Mommy!" Or pizza covered in veggies, instead of just pizza crusts. Or any kind of veggie. Wait, let's not get crazy...

Random unrelated thought: I finish The Omnivore's Dilemma and really loved it. I found it incredibly interesting and very readable as well as informative. I don't think I'll be foraging for wild mushrooms, or salt, or yeast anytime soon, but it was a book I very much enjoyed.

I'm now reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (a zillion thanks to Gio for letting me borrow hers, dropping it off at my house on the crazy day I last blogged about). It's odd reading it in such close succession to The Omnivore's Dilemma, as there is a lot of content overlap. I know many of my book group members are not enjoying the book, but I'm really finding it interesting, and a quick read. I'm skimming some of the more over-the-top parts, and forgiving some of the "she didn't just say something that sanctimonious, did she?" parts. I think it's really helping this book that I am reading it in succession with The Omnivore's Dilemma. It's a book I look forward to picking up, and really, that's all I ask of my books.

The Mathematics of Being Sick

How does a 10 minute ear check turn into 3 hours of hell? Well, let me tell you the math of it:

1 child (B-man)
+ 1 followup appointment
+ 102.6 degree fever that came out of no where
+ No ear infections

==EQUALS==

1 throat swab to test for strep (result tomorrow)
1 vial of bloodwork for a CBC (showed high white blood cell count)
1 vial of bloodwork to check immune system (results tomorrow)
1 vial of bloodwork to do a lead test (just so he doesn't need another blood draw at 3 years.)
1 chest X-Ray to rule out pneumonia (negative)
1 nose swab to test for the flu (negative)
1 catheter to get a urine sample to test for a UTI (negative)
2 shots of antibiotics

Oh, and I was by myself with both kids, because I thought it would just be a ten minutes ear check. And it was right during their nap time so neither of them napped. And it ran well past dinner time and we had no food with us.

Extra bonus: we get to go back tomorrow!

I'm a little worried. That seemed like a lot of testing on a kid who just didn't seem that sick. We met a friend and her daughter for coffee this morning and he was running around and in good spirits. He ate breakfast and lunch. I guess I'll wait until tomorrow.

That's a total lie. Of course I asked Dr. Google, and looked up the immune system deficiency I had as a child. It sounds a lot like what B-man has...a propensity to upper respiratory infections (hmm, just like his mommy). Two researchers have also noted a correlation between this immune system problem and atopic diseases, such as food allergies and asthma (double hmm, he has both of those). Well, I'll see what an actual doctor says tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be "just another cold".

My Trip to the book store

So, those of you who know me, and heck, even those of you who just read my blog probably realize I'm addicted to books. Luckily, right by my house is a great used book store. Only problem is it's open crazy hours (just during the day, and not at all on Sundays) and there's no parking except on-street. You know what that means. I have to go by myself with both boys who will no longer sit in a stroller, and I have to parallel park the van. I feel like I need some kind of award just for attempting to go. I guess I do get a nice reward...a zillion new books.

I went a little overboard today, as a tend to do whenever I manage to get to the bookstore. And, with both boys running around like the little crazy men they are, I don't get much time to think about my selections. I just pick it up, peruse it for thirty seconds or so, and have to make a final decision about whether or not to put it back on the shelf.

Here's what I got. What do you think I should read next?

• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin (this is the next selection for an online book group I'm in, and won't be discussed until May 1 so I probably won't read this any time soon unless someone highly recommends I read it immediately).

• Blood Rites, Book 6 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

• Dead Beat, Book 7 of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Since I haven't read books 3-5 in the series yet, I doubt I'll read these two books anytime soon but I figured since TK and I are both enjoying the series, I may as well pick these up for half-price for once we have read books 3-5.

• The Alienist by Caleb Carr. I think someone in my book group had recommended this, but I can't remember for sure.

• The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler. Sounds like a good light read.

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. I'm really excited to read this book. It's about a boy with autism solving a mystery. I fear it won't live up to my expectations, though.

• Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. A book that I've somehow managed to miss reading up until now.

• Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. This is a nonfiction book about trying to live on a minimum wage salary. The author took minimum wage jobs to research this. It sounds interesting, but I haven't heard anything else about it so I have no idea how well done it is.

• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon. I can't remember if I heard this was good or bad. I can't remember what this is about. And there's no blurb on the cover of this, so that was no help. I bought it just based on the vague memory that I'd heard *something* about this book. I sure hope I heard it was good and not that I heard it was terrible!

So what do you think? Any votes for the top of my to-read pile?

And book group members, you may notice Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is conspicuously missing from this list. Looks like I'm going to have to splurge and pay full price for that one as there are 30 holds on the next available copy at the library and it wasn't at the used book store. Oh well, it sounds really interesting so I'm willing to buy it.

Random unrelated thought: Every night at bedtime, my boys pick how they want to get into their cribs. Sometimes like an airplane, sometimes like a dinosaur, sometimes like a boat. You get the idea. We fly them, or stomp them, or row them into their crib. Well, last night, my little B-man's choice proved we have been spending far too much time talking about the potty. He asked to get into his crib "like a big poopy". What?? How does a big poopy get into a crib? And why are we pretending to be a poopy? Oh well, I went with it. We "tooted" our way over, then I "flushed" him into his crib.

The things I never expected about parenting...

The Bibliophile's Dilemma

So, I know I'm behind the times, finally getting around to The Omnivore's Dilemma. I mean, I've been *thinking* of reading it, but there are just so many other trashier novels that first demanded my attention.

Well, I've finally gotten around to starting it, and it's really incredible. It's a totally eye-opening experience. I'm into the "second meal" section now; I hope it stays as engaging.

My only "beef", if you will, is with his industrial meal being a McDonald's takeout meal. I mean, isn't that a bit of an EVIL FOOD cliché? What actually hit me more strongly about the first section of the book is the fact that it's not just fast food...it's the stuff I buy at the supermarket and cook at home. I thought he should have picked a typical family eat-in meal made from common ingredients...you know, something like what a million families will be eating tonight. Well, I guess that might be McDonalds. But, since I don't eat Mickey D's, it didn't have as big an impact on me.

Okay, partially-read book review done. For all I know, the next page could say "ha, ha, I was kidding about all that stuff you just read. It's all LIES! Mwa ha ha!"

Random unrelated new direction for this post to take: My inlaws were visiting this weekend. They watched the boys for us so we could go out to dinner one night. We chose to go to a Chinese buffet. Fancy, I know. Seriously, though, since B-Man was diagnosed with a nut allergy, we just haven't been willing to risk Chinese food. And when we do get a babysitter, we tend to go somewhere nicer than a Chinese food buffet. Which means it's been ages since we'd had Chinese food. I loved it. Egg rolls, spring rolls, crab wontons, scallion pancakes...can you tell I tend toward the appetizer section of the buffet? Yummy, and oh so healthy! Anyone want to go out with me for Chinese food one night??

Oh, the HUMANITY!

My internet was out. All day. Wait, I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of this situation. My internet was out ALL DAY! I didn't get to check email. I didn't get to read blogs. I didn't get to write anything. I didn't get to poke around the zillion sites that seem to consume the one free hour I have a day.

You'd think I would have gotten something productive done today, but no. The boys decided not to nap. They're a little over 2 and 1/2...they can't possibly be giving up their naps, can they? Here's the annoying thing: they seem perfectly happy, not tired or cranky at all, even once it's bed time. They don't seem to be missing that nap. Darn it! I love nap time!

I was supposed to be cleaning today since the inlaws arrive tomorrow. Did I get any cleaning done? Nope. In fact, the house just got messier. While I was on the phone with TK trying to figure out what happened to our internet connection, the boys were coloring. I was running back and forth to the basement, and on one of my trips, they decided to color EVERYTHING. Okay, technically not everything as they somehow managed to totally avoid the paper. So I guess I did clean that up...scrubbed the tables, chairs, floors, walls...god, I love washable crayons. Thank you, Crayola. They really are washable, especially with the help of my boyfriend, Mr. Clean, and his magic eraser. Oh, that sounds filthy, but it's CLEAN, I promise!

Okay, I may have overplayed the drama of no internet connection. Just a tad, right? But really, it's amazing to think that fifteen years ago, I had never been on the internet. I had never dreamed of websurfing or IM'ing, or blogging. Now I'm addicted. And to think, I'm the one who sometimes fantasizes about moving my family out to some cabin in the middle of nowhere, with no electricity...yeah, I'm full of it and wouldn't last five minutes until I'm sneaking out to the free wi-fi at the local Starbucks. Because of course I assume that even in the middle of nowhere, there will be a Starbucks close by. You can get away from civilization, but you can't escape Starbucks!

Random unrelated thought: Really? Do I really need one? This whole blog entry was pretty random, and unrelated to much of anything. Especially reality. Oh geez, friends don't let friends blog tired. Someone stop me...

What should I do when I grow up?

So, at our last book group, we read The Alchemist, and we were all kind of making fun of the idea of a Personal Legend (dun dun dun). However, it did get me to thinking about what it is that I want to do with my life, career-wise.

I've been an accountant, and truthfully, it was a pretty good match for me. I was pretty good at it; I think there's something accountant-esque about the way my mind works. It was a relatively easy job for me, and it was also the perfect job for a perfectionist: things were either right or wrong for the most part. And for grayer areas where you had to make judgment calls, there were rules to guide you. Only an accountant can truly appreciate the joy of something netting to zero. Oh, beautiful zero, how you feed my inherent need for perfection!

But, the only problem was that I found it somewhat mindless and repetitive on a daily basis. And, it wasn't fulfilling, at least not the industries in which I worked.

So, I switched careers. I got my master's degree in Elementary Ed. It was exciting and rewarding teaching, but an absolutely terrible job for a perfectionist. First, the sheer number of decisions you make on a daily basis is daunting. It's one of the most decision-making heavy professions there is, or so one of my professor's said. I believe it. And every one of those decisions, you might make a mistake. Usually small, but for a perfectionist, it eats away. Second, my biggest problem is that you can't reach every kid every day. Some lessons are a hit with most kids, but there's always at least one kid who it doesn't click with. Maybe he's having a bad day at home, or is tired, or didn't understand some of the background material, or has a different learning style, or your lesson totally sucked. You just don't know. And this kills me. I always focus on what didn't go well, which is just insane when you're teaching and you know that at best, every child is still going to have an off day every once in a while.

But, I still liked teaching. I'd probably go back to it, except I was ridiculously sick the whole time I taught. My immune system is total crap. I kept hearing that eventually your body gets used to the non-stop bombardment of germs, but I don't know if that's true for me. I still might go back, but the constant feeling of failure combined with always being sick is a big deterrent. Add in the fact that elementary school teaching positions are in short supply, and it's just not looking that enticing.

So, my other thought is writing. I like to write. I do it quite often. Then I think, hmm, could I pick a career MORE inappropriate for a perfectionist? Nothing is ever perfect, especially not if I'm the author (I know, my grammar is atrocious. And you should see my spelling before the auto-correct! Sometimes it doesn't even know what word I'm trying to spell!) Could I pick a career with more rejection than a writer? Actually, the rejection doesn't really scare me that much. But still, I'm sure it'll just feed into the cycle...

Or I could go in an entirely different direction and pounce on something else. Sometimes I wonder about my need for "newness". Maybe I'm just always looking for a new challenge, when I should just find something and do it, even once the excitement of learning has worn off. Who knows. I'm a grown up now, shouldn't I know what I want my career to be?

Boring random musings. I'll stop now. I've still got a few months to figure it all out before my kids start preschool...

Random unrelated thought: Oh my gosh, I just have to tell you about American Idol! Did you see it??? I'm just kidding. I'm feeling a little left out as all my friends are blogging about American Idol regularly and I've just never gotten into it. So You Think You Can Dance is my reality TV of choice. It's really awesome, all you AI fans, and starts at the end of May, after AI is done for the season. So I hope you're all going to be watching so we can all blog together about it! Or so at least I'll know what y'all are talking about in your blogs!

Something silly to come next post, to take some of the sting out of a long serious post :)

I got proofed!

Excuse me for bragging for a minute, but I was at the liquor store yesterday and I got asked to see some ID! Okay, fine, I know they ask for ID from anyone who looks under 30, but hey, someone thought I look under 30! Woo Hoo!

Is there really anything else to say in this entirely narcissistic post?

Well, I can tell you about what I was buying. I got a 6 pack of Guinness. I'm not a big drinker, and I really don't like beer but I decided to try a new corned beef recipe that requires you to slow cook it all day in Guinness. Sounds interesting. I mean, I hate to let down my Irish heritage, but for once I wanted to try to a cooking style that doesn't involve boiling the crap out of everything. Shhh, don't tell my mom.

Random related thought: I'm a somewhat recent transplant to Massachusetts, and for the most part, I totally love it here. But does anyone else think it's ridiculous you can't buy alcohol in a supermarket? What a pain in the patootie, and I don't even drink very much. Why did I have to run a separate errand to buy some beer? Bunch of puritans :)

PS~~Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Apple Peach Blueberry Pie

Wow, that pie yesterday was truly outstanding. My new all-time favorite pie. Guess what we had for breakfast this morning? What? It can't be any worse than danish or donuts! Thanks, Pi Day!

Here's my recipe for Apple Peach Blueberry Pie:

Ingredients:
6 apples (I like to use a variety of types)
2 peaches
4.4 ounces of blueberries (use somewhere in that vicinity...that's just the size container I had. It was about 2/3 cup of blueberries)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons of butter (optional...I actually forgot to use it this time!)
2 pie crusts (make your own or buy from the refrigerator section...I won't tell!)

Directions:

Peel apples and peaches and thinly slice into a large bowl. Add blueberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir gently to coat and let sit for at least ten minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place bottom pie crust into pie plate. Add all of the filling. Cut up the butter and dot around on top of the filling. Top with second pie crust. Cut vents in top.

Place aluminum foil around the edges of the pie to prevent burning. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue baking an additional 10 to 20 minutes until the pie is nicely browned.

Happy Pi Day!

It's 3/14, the day to celebrate all things pi!

Pi for lunch? That's right! Cheese sandwiches...circular, of course!



And how about some black beans and blueberries? As an aside, beans are the only veggies my boys eat with any regularity. And for some reason, they always want me to use them to write letters or numbers before they eat them. For the record, edamame is the best bean to "write" with. Lima beans work pretty well, too. But black beans are the boys' favorite, so that's what I used today.



And who can resist a pizza pi? Oh, no I didn't! Oh, yes I did! There it is, proof of my insanity that pi day works for dinner as well.



And what pi day is complete without an actual pie? So here it is. I tried a concoction of my own...an apple peach blueberry pie. If it tastes good, I'll post the recipe. If you don't see the recipe within a few days, well, then you know that apple peach blueberry is not a good combination!



Happy pi day! I hope you're all celebrating your inner math geek today!

Recovering, slowly

We're all slowly on the road to recovery from this bout of colds/flus/whatever the heck has knocked us on our butts.

I feel bad for B-man. When he gets sick, he gets REALLY sick. Like up all night, every night sick. Like totally not eating sick. Like comes down with a double ear infection right after he starts getting better sick. Like needs four nebulizer treatments a day sick. Like spikes a fever of 105 sick. Basically, when he's sick, it's a non-stop worry-fest.

I also feel bad for N-man. When he gets sick, B-man is always so much sicker that he doesn't get nearly the sympathy or cuddles he deserves. He's such a good kid. Easy going, silly, wonderful. I wish I could have given him more attention this past week.

Hopefully, we're getting better. Or at least I think the boys are getting better. I'm worried I might be getting an ear infection myself, but I'm hoping it's just my hypochondria kicking into high gear.

Random related thought: Two days ago, when I was completely losing my mind from being stuck inside for so long with two sick needy kids, I called TK at work to let him know we ran out of children's tylenol. And that he needed to come home early so that *I* could be the one to go out and get it. He's so wonderful, he agreed to that separation of duties.

I ran out to the grocery store, got the tylenol and did a quick food shop so we wouldn't all starve to death. Well, somehow in my cart ended up all of the following:

• A Caramello candy bar
• Two Cadbury Cream Eggs
• A package of Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chessman cookies
• Emergency Cake (I hope I'm not the only one to keep emergency cake on hand. You know those Betty Crocker single serve microwavable cakes? I always have one on hand, just in case I have an emergency and feel like I really must eat cake immediately, without waiting to make a real cake. I don't have cake emergencies often, maybe once every two or three months, but I do like to keep some emergency cake on hand just in case!)

I rarely buy that much crap at one time. I guess no sleep and non-stop sickness of everyone in the house brings out my sweet tooth!

The little things

Snickollet had a recent post about the little things that make her happy. Well, it's not that recent a post anymore, but anyway, it's still true; it's the little things that make or break a day. Not to take the big things for granted, but today I'm going to focus on the little things that make me happy.

• Books. Not to take the "little" part too literally (or should I say Little-er-ly), but books are tiny pieces of portable happiness. Some books have changed my life. Some books have provided me with fleeting entertainment. Sure, some have also been boring or annoying or unreadable, but I just get rid of those. Or, to be honest, I even get some enjoyment out of ridiculing the really bad ones. So books tops my "little things" list.

• Coffee. I gave up caffeine when I started trying to get pregnant, and I just never went back. But I still love a cup of decaf. Sweet and creamy...lots of sugar and half and half. About a zillion calories, and worth every delicious one!

• A good bagel. There's nothing like a New York bagel, but luckily, we found an adequate substitution in the area. I mean, it's not a NY bagel, but it'll do.

• Chocolate. I like my chocolate in brownie form. Or chocolate chip cookie form. Or bar form. And you all know about my chip addiction. Who am I kidding, I love chocolate no matter how you package it. As long as it's not ruined with hazelnut flavor. Who came up with that bad idea?

• Comments of my blog. What can I say? I'm still a relatively new blogger, and it's a bit of a zing when a new comment notification pops up.

• The silly things N-Man and B-Man do. For the most part, the boys fall square in the "big thing" category rather than the "little thing" category. But their random silly comments are little things that just make my day. Recently, it's been how excited they get about flushing the toilet. They stick their heads right in and yell as loud as they can "BYE BYE MY PEE!" and then giggle. It's hilarious.

• At least one good show on TV. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Veronica Mars, Heroes: those have been some of my favorites. This year, it was a surprise show that I didn't think I'd like. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I don't know why I didn't think I'd like it. Terminator is one of my all-time favorite movies. Oh wait, that's why. Has there ever been a good TV show based on a movie? And coming up this May 22nd, the premiere of my favorite reality show, So You Think You Can Dance. Come on, all you AI fans, I'm counting on you giving this one a try this summer!

• Frozen Strawberry Margaritas at my favorite Mexican restaurant. The chips and salsa are great, too.

Well, those are a few of my favorite things, if I can be a bit "the hills are alive" for a moment.

Random unrelated thoughts: The boys are back in diapers. Me being sick, and now them being sick was just not conducive to potty training. Plus, it turns out they like peeing in their undies more than they like peeing in their diapers. Who knows...we'll try again in a month or two, when we're all healthy and when it's a bit warmer.

Paging Dr. Google

Hypochondriacs shouldn't be allowed on the internet. I know that perfectly well. In fact, I have pretty much totally managed to avoid googling anything about my boys' health. Well, except I broke down in the middle of the night when B-man was having his first asthma attack and became totally freaked out with all times "death" is listed as a complication of asthma. That made for a relaxing night with hardly any calls to our pediatrician!

Anyway, while I can keep myself away for the boys, I just can't seem to do it for myself. I've had a cough for the past few days. Why? Because I *always* have a cough if I get even the slightest cold. Why? Because I have asthma. Yes, Maggie, clearly my asthma isn't under control any more. I know. I should take care of that.

So, I've been coughing. And coughing. And coughing. Annoying, but nothing major. Then last night my elbow started itching and had a little bit of a rash. That's weird. Time to google! Cough and rash, what could that be? Of course the main hit I keep getting is "asthma and allergies", but that's far too boring and incredibly probable. I could have gone to a real doctor to get that information. Come on, I expect more from Dr. Google!

So, on wrongdiagnosis.com, a site with a name that really fills you with confidence in their content, they suggest Alveolar Hydatid Disease, a rare disease caused by a microscopic tapeworms. Wow, that's pretty disgusting. Luckily, I don't fit most of the other symptoms, so I guess I can stop worrying that tiny worms have invaded my body. Way to go, wrongdiagnosis, you've totally lived up to your name!

On Medscape, I got an exciting hit for Monkey Pox. The fact that it is exceedingly rare in America and is normal only transmitted via a bite from an infected animal doesn't really slow me down from examining the other symptoms, which again, I don't present. I'm happy to report, that according to Dr. Google, I'm Monkey Pox free!

Medlineplus suggests Histoplasmosis, an infection caused by inhaling fungus spores. Sure, the fungus normally is found in soil along river valleys and I haven't been hanging out at any rivers recently. But, the fungus is transmitted via bird and bat droppings. I did see some bats at the zoo, and there were seagulls flying around the parking lot at the supermarket. Hmmm, I wonder. This site contains the especially great advice on prevention: "Avoid contact with bird or bat droppings." I was going to run right out to find some bird and bat poo to touch, but this convinced me to avoid it. You can always count on the government; thanks, Medline!


Well, the rash is now gone, so I guess this is just a case of a plain ol' cold. But Dr. Google, I did enjoy our consultation. You're far more interesting than a real doctor, you never make me sit in a waiting room filled with sick people, and you don't even charge me a copay.

Totally related thought: Here's your chance, all you closet-hypochondriacs out there: what's the craziest thing you ever thought you had? I once told TK, way back in the day when we were in college and just dating, that I thought I had scurvy. I was serious. He laughed at me, but refrained from telling me I was crazy. Well, now that I think of it, he might have said I was crazy in between the laughs. But at least he was good-natured about it, and he did go out with me to get some fruit.

1K Wednesday, secure in our masculinity edition

Here they are, sitting on their potties. Their new favorite activity!

We let them pick out their own potties. B-Man was immediately impressed with the pink potty, and totally unswayed by TK's suggestions that maybe he liked the blue potty better.

N-Man then jumped on board. When asked what color potty he wanted, he answered, "Pink. Pink like a flamingo."

Who can argue with that?

The Accidental Potty Trainer

I don't know what the heck I'm doing. Someone should have forced us to take a test pre-children.

Here's the thing: we keep hitting major changes by mistake. I had planned to wean the boys at about 18 months. Round about 13 and a half months, B-man stopped nursing, and before I knew what had happened, I'd weaned the boys. I had no plans to stop using a stroller, but there it is, taking up all the room in the back of my van and I realized I hadn't used it at all this winter. Now, potty training.

I'm not in a huge hurry. The boys are 31 months old. I was hoping they'd be potty trained at 37 months when they start preschool in September, but even then, we weren't too worried if they weren't.

Well, they started asking to go to the bathroom. They started complaining about wet diapers. We picked out little potties for them, which arrived Thursday. And they proceeded to sit down and use them repeatedly all day. Diapers are staying dry for the most part, except at nap time or when we've been out for a long time.

What do I do? Am I potty training? Do I get them big boy underwear and actually try to stop with the diapers?

Do they still wear diapers at nap time?

Am I ready to clean up lots of mistakes?

Are they actually ready to potty train or is this just excitement over a novel situation that will wear off?

I was kind of thinking to start potty training once the weather was nicer, like April or May at the earliest, so they could run around naked. Our house is too cold for naked-running. Will they be able to get out of their pants quick enough?

Why am I even worrying about them getting out of their pants? They can hardly keep up 2T pants as it is...they still fall down regularly since the boys are such skinny-minnies. Without the added puffiness of the diapers, will we need to go back to 18m pants even though those are way too short?

See, I should have had to have taken a test. Clearly I'm ill-prepared for this whole potty training thing and they're throwing me for a big time loop with all this being interested in the potty stuff.

Oh, yes, I know, I'm setting myself up for the irony of them never wanting to use the potty again after the novelty of the potties wears off. Here I am complaining they started potty training before I was ready, and I have this fear that six months from now, I could very well be complaining they are potty training far later than I had planned.

Parenting is hard for a control freak like me!

Random unrelated thought: We went out to a Brazilian BBQ Restaurant last night for TK's birthday. It was a dive, but so good. We have a great babysitter, who actually got the boys to go to sleep...something they hadn't done for us in the previous two nights without huge, hours long fights. It was a wonderful night all around. Great dinner, time to browse a book store, and boys who behaved for their babysitter!